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DFRAG WILDCARD LAN S1 - Additional information

DFRAG WILDCARD LAN S1 - Additional information

Written by:Daniel Lang
@mavrickmaster
Monday 5th January 2026
2 min read

Tournament Operator

  • Tournament Operator: DFRAG Media Group Pty Ltd

Tournament Dates

  • LAN Event: March 12–15, 2026

Tournament Format

  • Tournament stages: Group Stage (LAN), Finals (LAN)
  • Stage 1 – Group Stage:
    • 2 groups of 4 teams
    • GSL format
    • All matches Best-of-3
    • Top 2 teams from each group advance to Stage 2
  • Stage 2 – Finals (LAN):
    • 4 teams
    • Double-elimination bracket
    • All matches Best-of-3

Open Qualifiers

  • No Open Qualifiers are currently associated with this tournament.
  • If slots remain unfilled after all announced Direct VRS Invites have been issued sequentially from the declared VRS list and all declines/ineligibilities have been processed, an online Open Qualifier may be conducted to fill the remaining slot(s).
  • Any such Open Qualifier will be operated in accordance with Valve Tournament Operation Requirements and will be announced no fewer than 14 days prior to its start.
  • The Open Qualifier will not be VRS-ranked unless explicitly stated in a published update to this Additional Information.
  • Rosters qualifying via an Open Qualifier must comply with all roster eligibility and continuity requirements applicable to invited rosters.

Associated Tournaments

The following tournaments are associated with this Wildcard Tournament for qualification purposes:

  • DFRAG Open Series 1
  • DFRAG Open Series 2
  • DFRAG Open Series 3

VRS Information

  • Tournament Tier: Tier 2 (Wildcard Tournament)
  • VRS list used: Oceania subdivision of the Asia VRS
  • Direct VRS Invites: Yes (supplementary)
  • Wildcard Invites: Yes

Invite Method

  • 6 Wildcard Invites:
    • Top 2 teams from each DFRAG Open Series Season 1
  • 2 Direct VRS Invites:
    • Issued sequentially from the Oceania VRS list
    • Restricted to rosters ranked outside the Global Top 12
  • Invitation Date: February 8, 2026
  • VRS publication date used for invites: February 2026
  • VRS publication date used for seeding: March 2026

Seeding and Invite Resolution

  • Seeding:
    Initial seeding for all stages will be determined using the applicable Valve Regional Standings (VRS) publication specified for this tournament.
  • Duplicate Qualification Handling:
    If a roster qualifies for the DFRAG Wildcard LAN multiple times via separate DFRAG Open Series results, only one qualification slot will be allocated to that roster.
  • Supplementary Invites:
    Any vacated qualification slots resulting from duplicate Open Series qualifications will be filled by issuing Direct VRS Invites, selected sequentially from the declared VRS list in accordance with Valve Tournament Operation Requirements.
  • VRS Priority:
    All Wildcard and supplementary invite rosters will enter the tournament at the earliest stage and will not be seeded above higher-ranked VRS rosters.
  • Fallback Qualification:
    If slots remain unfilled after all announced Direct VRS Invites have been issued sequentially from the declared VRS list and all declines/ineligibilities have been processed, an online Open Qualifier may be conducted to fill the remaining slot(s).

Prize Pool and Compensation

Total Prize Pool: $20,000 AUD

  • 1st: $11,000 AUD
  • 2nd: $5,000 AUD
  • 3rd: $3,000 AUD
  • 4th: $1,000 AUD
  • Compensation beyond prize pool: None.

Visa / Location

  • Visa region: Australia (Oceania)
  • LAN location: Brisbane, Australia

Integrity and Disqualification

  • Integrity, eligibility, and conduct rules are defined in the official ruleset
  • Any disqualification decisions will be published at the time of enforcement
  • Rules are objective, transparent, and applied equally to all participants

Roster Continuity

  • A forfeit will be declared in any match where a roster does not field at least three of the originally invited roster athletes for the entirety of the match, in accordance with Valve Tournament Operation Requirements.

Official Ruleset

A copy of the original announcement can be found here: https://github.com/dfrag-tv/vrs-event-announcements/blob/main/dfrag-wildcard-season-1-additional-info.md