• 1.4.1.5 Match forfeit

A match forfeit is issued when a participant fails to comply with the rules, either by not appearing for the match or by breaching the rules during the competition. In such cases, the participant is deemed to have lost the match and any remaining rounds or maps are awarded to the opposing team.

• 2.13.1 Prize money deductions due to penalty points

Every penalty point that a participant acquires during an event or its qualifiers is penalised with a one percent (1%) prize money deduction. The deduction is calculated out of the grand total of prize money awarded to that participant at the end of the last part of the competition, including both online and offline prize money, but excluding the part that is meant to compensate for travel expenses or the club reward (if any). The deducted prize money will be proportionally distributed among the other teams; no prize money is lost through penalty points. No prize money is lost as a result of penalty points; any deducted prize money will be donated to a charity at the end of the year.

• 2.14.1 Withdrawing from the event

Participants are considered to have withdrawn from the event if they leave during the ongoing stage, between the two stages of the event, including its qualifying stage (e.g., qualifier and main event), or if they leave after accepting the invitation. In such cases, the participants will forfeit all prize money accumulated for the event and will be penalised with a ban from the next event of the same tier (e.g. if a team withdraws from a Tier 1 event, they will be banned from the next Tier 1 event they would have been invited to) receiving an invitation to the next event of the same tier (for example, withdrawal from a Tier 1 event will result in ineligibility for the next Tier 1 event for which the participant would otherwise have been invited). This ban applies only to invitations that have not yet been awarded. If a participant is already confirmed for a future event, the ban will take effect from the subsequent event. If a team becomes ineligible for an invitation, it will also be prohibited from participating in any qualifying stages, where applicable. In addition, the ban applies only to invitations issued via the VRS and does not affect wildcard invitations.

The team that withdraws will also be fined to cover the cost of their replacement (including, but not limited to, flight expenses for the replacement team and any additional costs incurred). If ESL is unable to find a replacement, the original matches assigned to the team will be forfeited.

Additionally, in exceptional cases, tournament administration will waive penalties (excluding the cost of replacement) in the event of a medical emergency or visa complications. To qualify for an exemption:

• For medical emergencies, the team must provide a letter from a licensed doctor explicitly stating that the participant is unable to travel to the event.
• For visa complications, the team must provide official documentation confirming that the visa was denied for reasons outside the participant’s control (e.g., not due to an incorrectly submitted or incomplete application).

2.15.6 Participants not showing

If a participant is not ready to play by 15 minutes after the scheduled start of the match, they will forfeit first map of the match or the whole match in case of Bo1s. are considered a no-show. In that case, the participant will be penalised with an additional 5 penalty points on top of any penalty points accumulated for not being punctual for the match. The tournament administration can decide to award (partial) default losses in the case of a best of series, or disqualify the participant. For non-Bo1 matches, After a second 15 minute period the opponent will be rewarded with a full match series win. In mitigating circumstances, the match may be rescheduled when appropriate, if the schedule allows it.

Participants who are not ready to play within 15 minutes of the scheduled match start time will forfeit the match. For single-map matches, failure to be ready within this timeframe will result in a full match forfeit. For multi-map series, a partial forfeit will apply after the initial 15 minutes, with the opponent being awarded one map. The participant will then be granted a further 15 minutes to be ready to play. If the participant remains unready after this second 15-minute period, additional maps will be awarded to the opponent at 15-minute intervals until the opponent has been awarded the number of maps required to win the series, at which point a full series win will be declared.

In the event of a match forfeit, teams will automatically receive an additional five (5) penalty points, in addition to any penalty points incurred for lateness.

During offline competitions, if a team attends the event but forfeits all of its matches, it will be considered withdrawn from the event and will be subject to the same consequences as a pre-event withdrawal.

Where delays are caused by circumstances beyond a participant’s control, and where the schedule permits, the match may be rescheduled at the discretion of the tournament administration.

• 2.16.4 Live Ratings system

The Live Ratings system recalculates each team’s rating based on the relative difference in ratings between the two opponents. A sophisticated formula governs these adjustments, factoring in the relative strength of the opposing teams and the match result itself (i.e. 2:0 vs 2:1). Teams will gain significantly more points when defeating a higher-ranked opponent and fewer points when defeating a lower-ranked one. Conversely, losses to lower-ranked teams will result in a more substantial rating reduction, while losses to higher-ranked opponents will have a smaller impact. The match result is used to determine the percentage of rating points gained or lost. A 2:0 scoreline results in a 100% points adjustment, while a 2:1 scoreline results in a 50% adjustment.

• 2.21 Integrity camera obligations

For online competitions, players may be required to provide up to two live camera feeds showing their setup - including, but not limited to, their monitor, keyboard, mouse, and surrounding area. Specific requirements will be communicated on a case-by-case basis. Compliance with these instructions is mandatory; failure to do so will result in penalties, up to and including disqualification from the competition.

• 2.24 ESL Pro Tour Counter-Strike wildcard slot transfer protocol

Only the winning team of an ESL Pro Tour Counter-Strike competition, affiliate event, or any other event with an allocated wildcard slot is eligible to receive a direct invitation. If the winning team has already secured a direct invitation or declines the invitation to the ESL Pro Tour Counter-Strike competition, the slot will be transferred to the Global Valve Regional Standings pool for global events or to the relevant Regional Valve Regional Standings pool for regional events. either global or the respective regional Valve Regional Standings pool. The slot does not pass down to the second-place team from the qualifying tournament. For example, if the winner of ESL Challenger League South America has already qualified for the ESL Pro League, the slot will instead be awarded to the next highest-ranked team from the Valve Regional Standings Americas.

• 2.29 ESL Challenger League Regional Final rules

Each ESL Challenger League Season consists of four standalone cups. The winners of these cups qualify for will be invited to the Regional Final, where they will compete for one slot in the ESL Pro League. A team may participate and even win multiple cups within the same season. The following conditions apply to the Regional Final based on multiple cup victories:

• • If a team wins 2 cups - they will advance directly to the Grand Final of the Regional Finals
  • If a team wins 3 cups - Semifinals will be cancelled, and the team will be granted a 1 map advantage in the Grand Final
  • If a team wins 4 cups - Regional Finals will be cancelled, and the team will qualify directly to ESL Pro League

By default, seeding for the Regional Final will be determined by the Global VRS. However, where a team has won multiple cups, the conditions specified above will determine bracket placement. For the purposes of the map veto, the Global VRS will continue to determine which team is considered the higher seed.

If a team that has won a cup chooses not to accept its invitation to withdraws from the Regional Final, their slot will not be replaced, instead - the total number of participants in the Regional Final will be reduced accordingly. Seeding for the Regional Final will be determined by the Global VRS.

• 2.30 FACEIT Verified

FACEIT Verified status is required to compete in any of our online qualifiers or in the ESL Challenger League. Players who are not FACEIT Verified are not eligible to participate.

• 4.7 Arrival day

Participants must arrive at the player hotel by the date designated as the Arrival Date by ESL. Failure to do so will result in the same penalties that a team would receive if it withdrew from the competition. No penalties will be imposed where delayed travel is caused by circumstances beyond the participant’s control (e.g. cancelled flight) or where a participant resides locally and is therefore not required to stay at the player hotel. Where a participant refuses to arrive on that date, a minimum fine of $2,000 will be given, increasing based on the disruption caused to any scheduled activities for the participant. In cases where ESL deems the reasoning for a delayed arrival to be unacceptable, disqualification and replacement of the participant will be possible. Fines will not be given in the case of delayed travel due to circumstances beyond the control of the participant, nor when a participant lives locally and is not staying at the player hotel.

Participants may request an exception via email to arrive on Media Day instead, if their scheduled participation in another Tier 1 LAN event conflicts with the designated Arrival Date. However, such exceptions will only be granted if the overall number of requests does not compromise the integrity of the event.

Additionally, ESL reserves the right to approve alternative arrival on the first day of the tournament, provided that travel logistics, timing assessments, and other operational considerations align. Participants approved for an alternative arrival date will be responsible for any additional travel costs resulting from the change. All requests will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis, and teams must provide valid, booked flight tickets demonstrating timely arrival at the event to be granted the exemption.

• 4.8.1 Missing media obligations

Not fulfilling media obligations will result in fines. Their range depends on the situation. The following fines are standard punishments for the most common cases:

• Not showing up complete and on time for the media day: $4,000 + 5% of the prize money winnings
• Not showing up complete and on time for the signing session: $10,000 + 5% of the prize money winnings
• Appearing incomplete or too late for a signing session:
  • • • • 1-30% of the lineup missing: $600 + 0.75% of the prize money winnings
        • 31-50% of the lineup missing: $800 + 1% of the prize money winnings
        • 51-70% of the lineup missing: $1,000 +1.25% of the prize money winnings
        • 71-99% of the lineup missing: $1,200 + 1.5% of the prize money winnings
        • 100% of the lineup missing: $2,000 + 2.5% of the prize money winnings
• Appearing incomplete or too late for a press conference:
  • • • • 1-30% of the lineup missing: $360 + 0.45% of the prize money winnings
        • 31-50% of the lineup missing: $480 + 0.6% of the prize money winnings
        • 51-70% of the lineup missing: $600 +0.75% of the prize money winnings
        • 71-99% of the lineup missing: $720 + 0.9% of the prize money winnings
        • 100% of the lineup missing: $1,200 + 1.5% of the prize money winnings

Similar punishments will be applied if other, comparable media obligations are missed. The fines can be reduced if the participant shows up with delay but still early enough to create the required content/have a reasonable session. The fines can be also/further reduced if the participant delivers proof of mitigating circumstances. The decision about that will be made by the tournament administration alone.

• 4.11 Setup period

A setup period of at least thirty (30) minutes will be provided before an offline match. This period covers the setup of peripherals, configuration of settings and warm-up time. The setup period begins at the conclusion of the previous match and ends before teams are taken off stage for the walk-ons.

A setup period, encompassing setup of peripherals, settings and warming up, of thirty (30) minutes is normally provided before an offline match, although this period is not guaranteed. The exact time available for setup will be relayed to teams when they arrive at the tournament area.

Both teams will be offered the same amount of setup time and will only be allowed into the tournament area at the same time. An exception to this is when one (1) participant is late due to something within their control (i.e., arriving late for their shuttle). Where a participant is late due to circumstances not within their control (i.e., traffic on route to the tournament venue), the other participant will not be given access to the tournament area until they are both on site.

Any time spent away from the tournament area during this thirty (30) minute period will still be considered as part of the setup period. Additional setup time may be given, at the discretion of the lead referee, if a technical issue arises over the course of the setup period that could not have been foreseen beforehand. Any technical issues caused by player equipment (i.e., peripherals or in-ears) will not result in extra setup time being given, nor will it be given for technical issues that arise after a player has chosen not to start setting up when the tournament area was opened for them.

• 4.15 Event credentials

Participants will be issued with credentials granting access to the event location. These credentials are issued to a specific individual and must not be transferred to another person. Participants are responsible for the safekeeping of their own credentials and any loss of credentials will result in a fine of $500.

• 5.10.4 Damaging or soiling

Participants taking action that could or does result in damage or soiling of rooms, furniture, equipment or similar items provided by ESL will incur a minimum fine of $500. This fine may be increased based on the costs required to restore the items to their original condition, the efforts involved in addressing the issue, and any reputational damage incurred with third parties or the public.