Counter-Strike 2 Showmatch to be played before EPL S17 Grand Finals

ESL, one of the world's largest esports tournament organizers, has recently announced a showmatch to be played on the newly unveiled Counter-Strike 2 Limited Beta. The match will take place on Sunday, just before the grand final of ESL Pro League Season 17.

The lineup for the showmatch is yet to be announced, but it is expected to feature players from teams that have already been eliminated from the current playoffs. Tres "Stunna" Saranthus mentioned on the broadcast that depending on who wins the NaVi vs FaZe Clan semi-finals, more players could be part of the rosters for the Showmatch, hinting at the potential for S1mple or FaZe players to be involved. The match will likely be played on Dust2, the only available map for those able to play the new game.

Counter-Strike 2 was unveiled by Valve last Wednesday with a reveal of new smoke mechanics, updated maps, and a plethora of new features. The game is expected to be fully released by summer, with a limited test currently available for selected players.

This announcement has created excitement among the Counter-Strike community, especially since the upcoming showmatch is the first of its kind played in an offline setting. With the players' identities yet to be revealed, fans are speculating about who will participate and which teams will be represented.

Either way, it will be really interesting to watch the brand-new mechanics getting tried out by the pros. While dynamically changing volumetric smokes may only be a small change for casual players, for mechanical prodigies, those same changes could lead to extra kills. There will surely be a bunch of shenanigans and clips to be watched in the showmatch.

With the addition to the program, Sunday’s schedule will look as follows (times in CEST):

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