FISSURE Playground #3 heads to China in 2026
Image credit: FISSURE Event organiser FISSURE has shared details on the third edition of its Playground Counter-Strike 2 (CS2) tournament series. The main event will take place in an unannounced city in China from April 20th to 26th, 2026. FISSURE Playground #3 Format Explained FISSURE Playground #3 will feature 16 teams competing for a share … Continued The post FISSURE Playground #3 heads to China in 2026 appeared first on Esports Insider.
Event organiser FISSURE has shared details on the third edition of its Playground Counter-Strike 2 (CS2) tournament series.
The main event will take place in an unannounced city in China from April 20th to 26th, 2026.
FISSURE Playground #3 Format Explained
FISSURE Playground #3 will feature 16 teams competing for a share of a $1.5m (~£1.1m) prize pool, with $1m (~£741,061) being split among teams and players. The remaining $500,000 (~£370,530) will be distributed as part of a loyalty programme for organisations that compete in multiple FISSURE tournaments, alongside bonuses for the top eight teams from the Valve Regional Standings (VRS).
16 teams will be divided into two groups of eight, where the top four teams from each group qualify for the Main Event.
The Group Stage will use a best-of-three Swiss system format, while the Playoffs will feature a single-elimination bracket with best-of-three quarter and semi-finals,. The Grand Finals will be best-of-five.
15 of the 16 participating teams will be invited based on the global VRS, with one team from the Asian qualifier earning a place at the event.
FISSURE Playground #3 will utilise four open qualifiers ahead of the event, with the top teams from each one earning a place in the closed qualifier. The top five teams from the VRS Asia standings will also compete. The winner of the qualifier will earn the final place at the Playoffs.
The event organiser will use the VRS from March 2nd, 2026, to determine invitations and seedings.
Who Is Fissure?
Founded in 2022, FISSURE is a Serbian-based esports tournament organiser and hosts events in Counter-Strike 2, Dota 2, and Mobile Legends: Bang Bang.
This July, it will host the inaugural edition of its Playground tournament series with teams from the June 25th VRS receiving invitations to the event.
Notably, Ukrainian esports organisation B8 has already confirmed it will not attend FISSURE Playground #1 following a fan survey citing the involvement of Russian bookmaker BetBoom and the ‘origins’ of the event organiser as reasons behind the decision.
The post FISSURE Playground #3 heads to China in 2026 appeared first on Esports Insider.
