Valve has released new tournament guidelines, which lays out expectations for how tournament organizers should conduct themselves going forward and has been one of the most often discussed topics concerning the future of Counter-Strike as 2025 approaches. Significant modifications were made to the regulations regarding who is allowed to attend key events and how teams are invited.
Sub-regional invite segregation will no longer be allowed for Tier-1 events. Regions like SEA will considered under Asia and will no longer get a dedicated spot and invitation in accordance. Since the number of Tier-1 teams is significantly less in said regions, this change will make little to no difference to how top tournaments are organized.
Good news for tier 2 teams as they will now have a chance to prove themselves at big events without having to deal with a qualifier. Since tier-2 events aren’t intended to target certain teams, organizers will have the liberty to handpick a few teams.
Said changes may look insignificant but they will help lesser-known teams get the stage to prove their worth without having to wait for long periods. Tier 2 has always been instrumental in producing talents and teams and this will bring more opportunity to teams.
