Sept. 2, 2025
Competitive CS2 in Oceania requires a strong grassroots foundation and the need for a circuit that allows teams to compete against the very best as often as possible.
As announced in August, DFRAG is committed to ensuring the future of the OCE CS2 scene remains bright. Today, we're detailing exactly what the new OCE path to pro will look like for 2025 and the start of 2026 via the DFRAG circuit.
At its core, this new circuit is built upon the DFRAG Open Series: a multi-stage online event and broadcast that takes place over several weekends and is free for all teams to enter.
Up for grabs: cash prizes, Valve Ranking System (VRS) points, invitations to DFRAG LAN events, and more — all designed so our best and brightest in Oceania have a clear path forward in the new world of competitive CS2 esports.
DFRAG Open Series: Format, prize pool, dates, and more
Each DFRAG Open Series will be split into three stages, with matches played using the FACEIT platform. Stages 2 and 3 will be VRS Tier 2 ranked, meaning competing teams will earn vital VRS points that contribute to regional invites for tournaments, as well as for Valve's Major events that conclude each CS2 season.
Stage 1 is the series open qualifier, with all teams able to enter and compete through a double-elimination open bracket. The top eight teams from Stage 1 will progress to Stage 2, which sees the qualifiers battle through a double-elimination group bracket in two groups of four.
2 teams will be eliminated from each group in Stage 2, with the group brackets set up for seeding the top four teams into Stage 3 — a double-elimination sprint to the finish.
To the victors, the spoils: a chunk of the $7,500 AUD prize pool per series. vital VRS points for regional rankings, and an invitation to the DFRAG Wildcard LAN held at the DFRAG Studio in Brisbane.
LAN competition is the ultimate way to experience competitive CS2, and each Wildcard LAN will prepare our next crop of talent for the huge step that is offline play.
The top two at each DFRAG Open Series will receive a slot at the 8-team Wildcard LAN, with remaining invites supplemented via VRS rankings. Winners on LAN will walk away with the lion's share of the $10,000 AUD prize pool and bragging rights that only an offline win can provide.
Season 2 of the DFRAG Open Series in 2026 will see the prize pool increase to $10,000 AUD per series. The DFRAG Wildcard LAN acts as a capstone for the series and provides the opportunity for teams to compete in-person live.
The DFRAG Open Series isn't just open for players. Stages 1 and 2 will be available for community broadcasting, meaning those wanting to stream matches can do so freely. CSTV links will must be requested by authorised broadcasters.
Stage 3 will be broadcast via the dfragtv and dfragtv_cs2 channels on Twitch.
Details about the next evolution of the DFRAG Invitational will be revealed early next year 2026.
DFRAG Open Series prize pool
The first DFRAG Open Series will feature a $7,500 AUD (approx. $5,000 USD) prize pool, with the top four taking home a cash prize. Below is the prize pool distribution for Season 1 of the DFRAG Open Series:
- 1st: $4,000 AUD (+invite to Wildcard)
- 2nd: $2,000 AUD (+invite to Wildcard)
- 3rd: $1,000 AUD
- 4th: $500 AUD
At minimum, a team that qualifies to Stage 2 will play at least four VRS-ranked matches; at maximum, 9 VRS-ranked matches.
Season 1's DFRAG Open Series Wildcard LAN will feature a $20,000 AUD (approx. $13,000 USD) prize pool, with the top four taking home a cash prize. Below is the prize pool distribution for the Wildcard LAN:
- 1st: $11,000 AUD
- 2nd: $5,000 AUD
- 3rd: $2,500 AUD
- 4th: $1,500 AUD
Additional VRS information & rulebook
- Filters to VRS: ASIA (sub-region Oceania)
- No Direct VRS Invites (Open Qualifiers only)
- VRS publication date: Sept, 2025
- VRS Tier: 2
- Visa region: Australia (Oceania)
- Compensation beyond prize pool: None
The DFRAG Open official ruleset can be found here.
Wilcard VRS information
- VRS list used: Oceania subdivision of Asia VRS.
- VRS publication date: Feb 2026
- VRS Tier: 2
- Visa region: Australia (Oceania)
- Invite method: “Top 2 from each Open Series (6 Wildcards) + 2 supplementary Direct VRS Invites (from Oceania list, ranks outside global top 12).”
- Compensation beyond prize pool: None
- Tournament stages: online → LAN.
- Invitation date: Feb 8th 2026
DFRAG Open Series key dates
Below we've included the key dates for DFRAG Open Series - Season 1.
DFRAG Open Series 1
- Stage 1: September 20-21
- Stage 2: September 27-28
- Stage 3: October 4-5
DFRAG Open Series 2
- Stage 1: November 22-23 (updated)
- Stage 2: December 6-7
- Stage 3: December 13-14
DFRAG Open Series 3
- Stage 1: January 24-25
- Stage 2: January 31-Feb 1
- Stage 3: February 7-8
DFRAG Wildcard LAN Season 1
- LAN Finals: March 12-15, 2026
DFRAG Invitational 2026
- LAN finals TBD (ETA October 2026)
Registration
Registration for DFRAG Open Series 1 (kicking off Sept 20, 2025) is now open.
Between the Amateur League, the Open Series, and the Wildcard/Invitational LANs, you can be assured the future of competitive CS2 in the OCE region is safe in DFRAG hands.
Registration for the DFRAG Open Series 1, kicking off Sept. 20, is now open — sign up here! Be sure to stay tuned to DFRAG via the official website and on X/Twitter for the latest news and updates!
