HLTV Updates CS2 Rankings: First Update of the 2026 Season and Distribution of Invites to Top Tournaments
HLTV has updated the CS2 team rankings — the first ranking update of the 2026 season. These positions are used to determine invitations to IEM Kraków, PGL Cluj-Napoca, ESL Pro League, and IEM Rio, meaning changes in the rankings have a direct impact on participation in the year’s key tournaments.
The current team rankings as of January 6 are as follows:
- Vitality
- FURIA
- Falcons
- MOUZ
- FaZe Clan
- The MongolZ
- NAVI
- Team Spirit
- G2 Esports
- Aurora Gaming
- B8
- 3DMAX
- paiN
- Astralis
- Liquid
- Passion UA
- Legacy
- HEROIC
- Imperial
- PARIVISION
- GamerLegion
- Virtus.pro
- NiP
- M80
Based on this ranking, teams receive invitations to major prestigious tournaments at the start of the year. The first big event will be IEM Kraków 2026, which will take place from January 28 to February 8 and feature 24 teams competing for first place and $400,000 in prize money. The total prize pool of the tournament is $1 million. In addition, IEM Kraków is part of the ESL Grand Slam race.
In addition to the HLTV ranking, EGamersWorld also offers its own CS2 team ranking. It is based on match results, the strength of opponents, and consistency of performances, providing a broader view of teams’ real competitive level.
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