Tournament Dates
- Open Registration Opens: June 13, 2026
- Registration Close: June 18, 2026, 23:59 AEST
- VRS Seed Lock / LAN Slot Allocation: June 19, 2026
- Stage 1 - Online Open Qualifier: June 20, 2026
- Online Open Qualifier Overflow Date: June 21, 2026, if required
- Stage 2 - Offline LAN Main Event: July 16-19, 2026
Tournament Format
The tournament will feature 8 teams at the Offline LAN Main Event.
All teams must enter through open registration. No team will receive a Direct VRS Invite.
Open Registration and VRS Seeded LAN Allocation
Registration
- Open registration is available globally to all eligible rosters.
- Registration will be hosted via GOOGLE FORMS.
- Open registration is free to enter.
- Registration is first-come-first-served, subject to eligibility, roster validation, published capacity limits, and the published tournament rules.
- Registration order and timestamps will be publicly inspectable via GOOGLE SHEETS.
- All teams enter through the same global open registration process via Google Forms.
- Completing open registration does not register a roster on FACEIT for the Online Open Qualifier; Oceania-eligible rosters not directly seeded must separately register on FACEIT to enter the Online Open Qualifier.
Direct VRS Invites
- No Direct VRS Invites will be issued.
- No roster will be invited, selected, or advanced through a Direct VRS Invite process.
- All participants must enter through open registration.
Roster Confirmation
- Registration is only valid once the roster has completed all required registration steps and has been confirmed by the Tournament Organiser.
VRS Seeding and LAN Allocation
- After registration closes, the Tournament Organiser will determine the initial tournament seeding using the published VRS seeding snapshot.
- The VRS-seeded LAN allocation pathway is open globally.
- No regional filter will be applied to the VRS-seeded LAN allocation pathway.
- The top 4 confirmed registered rosters globally by VRS seeding will be directly seeded into the Offline LAN Main Event.
- This is not a Direct VRS Invite process. A roster must complete open registration to be eligible for direct seeding into the Offline LAN Main Event.
- Any confirmed registered roster that is not directly seeded into the Offline LAN Main Event will be assessed for Online Open Qualifier eligibility.
- Only rosters that satisfy the Online Open Qualifier regional eligibility requirements will be seeded into the Online Open Qualifier for the remaining 4 LAN slots.
- Rosters without a VRS rank may register and compete, but will not be seeded above VRS-ranked rosters.
- Global rosters that are not directly seeded into the Offline LAN Main Event and do not satisfy the Online Open Qualifier regional eligibility requirements will not be eligible to compete in the Online Open Qualifier.
- All rosters directly seeded into the Offline LAN Main Event must be able to attend the LAN at DFRAG STUDIOS from July 16-19, 2026.
Stage 1 - Online Open Qualifier
- The Online Open Qualifier will determine the remaining 4 LAN slots.
- The Online Open Qualifier will be played on FACEIT using FACEIT Anti-Cheat, on servers in Sydney, Australia.
- Online Open Qualifier registration and matches are hosted via FACEIT.
- Entry into the Online Open Qualifier is free.
- The Online Open Qualifier is open only to confirmed registered rosters based in, or able to compete from, Australia and New Zealand, that are not directly seeded into the Offline LAN Main Event through open registration and VRS seeding.
- For that reason, the Online Open Qualifier is limited to Oceania-eligible rosters because matches are hosted on Sydney-based FACEIT servers.
- The Online Open Qualifier will be double-elimination.
- Matches will be Best-of-1 until qualification matches.
- Qualification matches will be Best-of-3.
- The top 4 qualifying rosters from the Online Open Qualifier will advance to the Offline LAN Main Event.
Stage 2 - Offline LAN Main Event
- The Offline LAN Main Event will be played at DFRAG STUDIOS from July 16-19, 2026.
- The LAN Main Event will feature 8 teams:
- 4 teams directly seeded through open registration using the published VRS seeding snapshot
- 4 teams qualified through the Online Open Qualifier
- LAN format:
- 8-team LAN Main Event
- Double-elimination group stage, 2 groups of 4
- 4-team double-elimination playoff
- Online platform: FACEIT
- Online Anti-Cheat: FACEIT Anti-Cheat
- Offline venue: DFRAG STUDIOS
- Offline stage: LAN
VRS Information
- Tournament Tier: Tier 2
- Ranked Stages: Stage 1 Online Open Qualifier and Stage 2 Offline LAN Main Event
- Direct VRS Invites: None
- Invitation Date: Not applicable
- VRS publication date used for seeding: June 2026
No VRS invitations will be issued.
All teams must enter through open registration.
The tournament aligns with Valve's Ranked Tier 2 requirements. While Tier 2 events may use Direct VRS Invites, HYPERX NATIONALS 2026 will not issue Direct VRS Invites.
Instead, after open registration closes, the top 4 confirmed registered rosters globally by VRS seeding will be directly seeded into the Offline LAN Main Event.
No regional filter will be applied to the VRS-seeded LAN allocation pathway.
All remaining confirmed registered rosters that satisfy the Online Open Qualifier regional eligibility requirements will be seeded into the Online Open Qualifier for the remaining 4 LAN slots.
Rosters without a VRS rank may register and compete if eligible for the relevant pathway, but will not be seeded above VRS-ranked rosters.
Open Qualifier
- The Online Open Qualifier is open only to eligible rosters based in, or able to compete from, Australia and New Zealand.
- Online Open Qualifier matches are hosted on FACEIT servers in Sydney, Australia. For that reason, the Online Open Qualifier is limited to Oceania-eligible rosters.
- Rosters must be able to attend the LAN Main Event at DFRAG STUDIOS from July 16-19, 2026 if qualified.
- Online Open Qualifier registration will be hosted via FACEIT.
- Online matches will be played on FACEIT with FACEIT Anti-Cheat required.
- Entry into the Online Open Qualifier is free. Open registration via Google Forms is separate and is described above.
- The Online Open Qualifier is open to confirmed registered Oceania-eligible rosters that are not directly seeded into the Offline LAN Main Event through global VRS seeding.
- The Online Open Qualifier will be double-elimination.
- Matches will be Best-of-1 until qualification matches.
- Qualification matches will be Best-of-3.
- No roster-specific or discretionary selection criteria will be used.
- Online Open Qualifier registration order and timestamps will be publicly inspectable via FACEIT.
LAN Participation Fee
Open registration and the Online Open Qualifier are free to enter.
All teams that receive a confirmed Offline LAN Main Event slot must pay a $500 AUD LAN participation fee.
The LAN participation fee applies only after a roster has been directly seeded into, or qualified for, the Offline LAN Main Event.
Payment must be completed by the deadline provided by the Tournament Organiser after LAN slot confirmation.
Failure to complete payment by the deadline may result in the LAN slot being forfeited and reallocated under the Vacancies & Replacements procedure.
Vacancies & Replacements
If a roster directly seeded into the Offline LAN Main Event through open registration and VRS seeding withdraws, fails eligibility checks, fails roster validation, or fails to complete the LAN participation fee by the required deadline, the vacant slot will be offered to the next highest-seeded eligible registered roster globally using the same published VRS seeding snapshot.
If no eligible registered roster is available through the VRS seeded allocation pathway before the Online Open Qualifier begins, the vacant slot may be added to the Online Open Qualifier.
If a roster qualified through the Online Open Qualifier withdraws prior to the start of the LAN Main Event, the vacant slot will be filled by the next highest-placing eligible roster from the Online Open Qualifier, as determined by final standings and predefined tiebreakers.
If no eligible roster is available from the Online Open Qualifier standings, the Tournament Organiser will select a replacement based on the highest-performing non-qualified roster using objective performance metrics, including:
- final qualifier placement
- match record
- map differential
- round differential
- head-to-head result, where applicable
All replacement decisions will be made using transparent and pre-defined criteria. No discretionary invites will be issued.
The same replacement ordering applies if a roster is removed by the Tournament Organiser before the start of the relevant stage. The full procedure is set out in Vacancies & Replacements in the official ruleset.
Prize Pool and Compensation
Total Prize Pool: $10,000 AUD
- 1st: $5,000 AUD
- 2nd: $2,500 AUD
- 3rd: $1,500 AUD
- 4th: $1,000 AUD
- Compensation beyond prize pool: None
The LAN participation fee is not prize compensation and does not alter the prize distribution.
Visa / Location
- Visa region: Australia (Oceania)
- Offline venue: DFRAG STUDIOS
- Offline location: Australia
Integrity and Disqualification
- Integrity, eligibility, and conduct rules are defined in the official ruleset.
- Disqualification decisions will be based solely on objective criteria defined in the ruleset and will be published at the time of enforcement.
- Any disqualification decisions will be published at the time of enforcement.
Official Ruleset
Verifiability
- This Additional Information is published on a platform that preserves version history.
- Open registration order and timestamps are publicly inspectable via GOOGLE SHEETS.
- Online Open Qualifier registration order and timestamps are publicly inspectable via FACEIT.
- The VRS seeding snapshot used for LAN slot allocation and Online Open Qualifier seeding will be published or linked before the VRS Seed Lock.
- Any updates to this Additional Information will be preserved through version history.
You can view the latest up-to-date version on this document on github: https://github.com/dfrag-tv/vrs-event-announcements/blob/main/dfrag-hyperx-nats-additional-info.md
