FISSURE Playground #2 in CS2 Starts Today: Tournament Preview

FISSURE Playground #2 in CS2 Starts Today: Tournament Preview

Today, September 12, the second season of the FISSURE Playground tournament with a $1,250,000 prize pool begins in Belgrade. Over 10 days (September 12-21), 16 top teams will battle not only for solid prize money but also for Valve ranking points, which directly affect participation in the Budapest Major 2025. This is a preview of FISSURE Playground cs2, where we’ll break down the format, the main storylines, and the matches worth watching today. Only on CSGO-NEWS!

Competition Format

• Swiss System (September 12-17): 16 teams, matches in Bo3 format. The top eight advance further.

• Playoffs (September 19-21): Single elimination bracket. Quarterfinals and semifinals — Bo3, final — Bo5.

Yes, titans like Spirit, NAVI, or Vitality are not participating in the tournament, but there are FaZe, G2, FURIA, Falcons, The MongolZ, Astralis, Liquid, GamerLegion, and others. The level promises to be very high.

Why is the tournament so important?

FISSURE Playground #2 is one of the last chances to earn Valve points before the Major in Budapest. This is exactly why the teams are approaching it with maximum focus: there is no room for experiments here.

Analysts note that in terms of the strength of the participating teams, Playground even surpasses the parallel StarSeries 19.

Main Storylines

• Falcons Return: After a break, the team is back in the arena. Their success at the Esports World Cup raised the bar of expectations — now fans are waiting for a trophy.

• Liquid — A Match for Life: The team is on the verge of dropping out of the Major race: they are in 21st place in the rankings, which is too low. The Belgrade tournament will be decisive.

• Magisk in Astralis: One of the most anticipated comebacks: the legendary player is back in the Astralis roster. Will this be the start of a new era for the Danes?

• G2 and a Stability Check: A recent victory in London inspired fans, but will they have the strength to confirm their form here?

Matches of the First Day

Today, viewers will be treated to eight opening matches at once:

• The MongolZ vs 3DMAX

• Falcons vs Virtus.pro

• Aurora vs Astralis

• FaZe vs paiN

• FURIA vs Liquid

• G2 vs Lynn Vision

• GamerLegion vs TYLOO

• HEROIC vs Legacy

Every game could be a turning point: for example, the FURIA vs Liquid match is already being called a “mini-final,” as for Liquid it’s a question of survival.

The start of FISSURE Playground #2 promises a lot of emotions. Today we will see the first answers to the main questions:
will Falcons return for the title,
will Liquid manage to save themselves,
and will Magisk bring a new era to Astralis.

Belgrade is just opening its doors, and it’s already clear — this week will be key in the race for the Budapest Major 2025.