Event Overview: FISSURE Brand Power is Fully Upgraded
As the flagship CS2 event under the FISSURE series, Playground 1 will be held at Sava Center in Belgrade, Serbia from July 15 to 20, 2025. A total of 16 international teams were invited to this competition, and the group stage will be held according to the four-group GSL double-elimination system, with two teams from each group advancing to the elimination stage.
It is worth noting that this is the first time that a FISSURE event has adopted a dual bonus structure for clubs and players, closely linking competitive rewards with organizational operations.
Grouping and first round matchups
The following are the four groups and the first round lineups:
Group A
FURIA (top ten in the world)
SAW
paiN
Rare Atom
First round: FURIA vs SAW, paiN vs Rare Atom
Group B
Virtus.pro
Astralis
MIBR
TYLOO
First round: Virtus.pro vs TYLOO, Astralis vs MIBR
Group C
HEROIC
BIG
Complexity
BetBoom
First round: HEROIC vs BIG, Complexity vs BetBoom
Group D
3DMAX
GamerLegion
Wildcard
Lynn Vision
First round: 3DMAX vs Lynn Vision, GamerLegion vs Wildcard
All group matches and elimination matches are BO3, the finals adopt BO5.
The bonus pool allocation
The total prize money for this competition is US$1 million, of which US$450,000 will be directly distributed to the players and $550,000 will be awarded to the club. FISSURE emphasized that this move is to promote the structural growth of the team.
Prize distribution (player + club):
| Placement | Total Prize (USD) | Player Share | Club Share |
| 1st Place | $290,000 | $150,000 | $140,000 |
| 2nd Place | $220,000 | $100,000 | $120,000 |
| 3rd–4th | $210,000 | $70,000 | $140,000 |
| 5th–8th | $200,000 | $70,000 | $130,000 |
| 9th–12th | $60,000 | $40,000 | $20,000 |
| 13th–16th | $20,000 | $20,000 | $0 |
This mechanism has received positive feedback from European and American clubs, which is conducive to improving the club’s operational capabilities and long-term development.
Highlights of the event and potential focus matches
FURIA is responsible for leading the team: As the only Top 10 team, FURIA’s performance in Group A will affect the trend of the entire game. The first match against SAW will become a weather vane for judging the status.
Veterans and newcomers compete on the same stage: Traditional giants such as Astralis, Virtus.pro, and MIBR will compete with new forces such as BetBoom and Lynn Vision. Whether the old-school style of play can still adapt to the new version of CS2 will become a highlight.
Asian teams appear in the spotlight: Rare Atom joins hands with TYLOO and Lynn Vision to fight against high-intensity opponents such as paiN and Virtus.pro. The international competitiveness of Asian teams will be tested again.
Data and background support
This tournament has representative teams from 7 regions, with the number of representatives from South America and Asia setting a new record in the FISSURE series.
All matches will be broadcast live simultaneously on Twitch, YouTube, and KICK platforms, and are expected to reach more than 5 million viewers.
The tournament organizing committee plans to include the Playground series in the FISSURE annual points system to accumulate points for the “Global Finals” at the end of the year.
Conclusion: New mechanism promotes CS2 ecological innovation
FISSURE Playground 1 is not only an international competition with attractive prize money, but also a systematic ecological test: The “dual-track bonus mechanism” strengthens club incentives, and uses diversified grouping and global representation to improve the viewing and influence of the event.
From the announced matchups and competition arrangements, FISSURE is trying to get out of the single thinking framework of traditional TO and establish a”competition + operation” dual-pillar model in the CS2 event ecosystem, setting a new benchmark for other organizations.
For players and spectators, this is the focus of the event that cannot be missed this summer; and for clubs and players, this may be a win-win stage for prize money and exposure.
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