FISSURE Playground #3 offers $1 million CS2

Sixteen Counter-Strike 2 teams will compete for a share of a $1 million prize pool at the FISSURE Playground #3 event in Suzhou, China. The tournament runs from September 8 to September 13.

Originally scheduled for April, the event was postponed and revived through a new partnership with GGMEDIA. This partnership also caused delays for two other tournaments organized by FISSURE. Despite the substantial prize money, the report notes that some major teams have chosen to skip this particular competition.

Tournament format and schedule

The competition is split into two distinct phases. The group stage will take place from September 8 to 10, followed by the single-elimination playoffs from September 11 to 13. All 16 participating teams are divided into two groups for a double-elimination bracket stage.

Each group offers three slots for advancement into the playoffs. The group winner secures a direct berth to the semifinals, while the second and third-place teams enter the playoff bracket at the quarterfinal stage. The tournament will also feature a dedicated match to determine third place.

Teams to watch

Several top-tier teams are highlighted as favorites. FURIA, who won the previous FISSURE Playground #2 event in September 2025, are noted for their recent second-place finish at the IEM Cologne Major and a top-four result at the BLAST Open in Porto.

G2 Esports, having achieved top-eight placements at several recent events including the Esports World Cup 2026, are considered top contenders for the trophy, especially with rivals like Team Vitality and Team Spirit absent from the lineup.

The new roster of FaZe Clan is said to have performed well at the CS2 Esports World Cup 2026 and reached the top four at BLAST Bounty Summer 2026. Legacy, described as "true heroes" of the EWC 2026 for reaching the top three, also made strong teams like Falcons and Vitality "nervous" at the BLAST Open Fall 2026.

Other notable participants include The MongolZ, who are seeking better synergy with a refreshed roster, and Astralis, who were strong at BLAST Bounty Summer 2026 with a top-four finish and are said to have had "enough practice to climb even higher."

Broadcast and future events

Matches will be streamed live on the tournament organizer's official YouTube and Twitch channels. Following this event, the next major CS2 tournament on the calendar is the StarLadder StarSeries Fall 2026, scheduled for September 17-20 in Barcelona, Spain. That event will feature a partial presence of top-tier teams including Vitality, MOUZ, Natus Vincere, and FURIA.