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It looks like there’s nothing but problems for the first Counter-Strike 2 Major.

ChallengerMode’s first CS2 Major qualifications have already hit a series of bumps in the road. Players taking part in the initial stages of the PGL Major Copenhagen EU RMR Qualifier 1 have reportedly been bombarded with connection and anti-cheat issues.

Harrison Thomas

ping as high as “17,000”–yes, a real number–is being reported by players, and it’s not just impacting a few individuals,according to Bleed coach kassad on X today. And thus, players frequently disconnected from their matches, and were met witherror codes ejecting them from the game.

Even ChallengerMode’s anti-cheat appears as a problem. Playersreported crashes thanks to the AkrosAC, leading to several technical delays throughout the day.

Counter Strike 2

Unfortunately, the issues didn’t end there. Thesefrequent delays caused teams to wait hoursbefore their matches commenced. Teams sat in pre-game limbofor as long as three hoursbefore their games began.

What else can go wrong at the ChallengerMode EU RMR qualifiers?

As it turns out, a lot.

V1dar Gaming’s coach RuFire likely cost the squad their chance at further progression through the tournament. The Russian coach broadcasted V1dar Gaming’s match against OG to roughly 700 people, without a delay.

Throughout the match, RuFire continued to instruct the team. Typically, coaches aren’t allowed to talk during rounds at all,according to the rules put in place by Valveyears ago. This subsequently led to the V1dar Gaming roster beingdisqualified from the tournament, and OG securing a lifeline—despite their initial loss.

First CS2 Major qualifiers face backlash after day one cover image

RuFire later continued his anticswhen he began mocking the OG squad. The Russian coach began using sexually explicit comments to describe what the V1dar Gaming squad metaphorically did to OG–all while being the sole reason his team was disqualified from the event.

Pair childish and somewhat pathetic displays with frequent connection issues, and you’ll get what 00NATION’s Florian ‘syrsoN’ Rische described as the “worst open qualifier experience (he’s) had so far.”

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Now, it’s North America’s turn to run the gauntlet. Soon we’ll see if the NA region has a smoother ride, compared to their fellow CS2 pros across the pond.

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Image via ChallengerMode

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