The Roman Imperium Cup VIII championship has been announced with a prize pool of up to 12,000 euros

The organizers of the Roman Imperium Cup tournament series have officially announced the eighth season of the Counter-Strike 2 championship, which will take place from September 10 to 13, 2026, in Portugal. The competition has been granted official Tier 2 status in the global VRS system, and its prize pool will range from 6,000 to 12,000 euros.

Up to 16 teams will be able to participate in the competition, and the LAN finals will be held at the SAW Esports Arena in Vila Nova de Gaia. Registration for the event opens on July 16, and the organizers have completely eliminated the direct invite system—teams will be admitted to the competition solely upon confirmation of payment of the €850 entry fee.

The seeding system for the upcoming championship will be entirely based on Valve’s official Regional Standings databases as of September 7, 2026. For teams that have not earned any VRS points, their current position in the HLTV global rankings will serve as the secondary criterion for seeding. If registered teams are completely absent from both databases, the organizers will determine seeding based on the average FACEIT Elo rating of the players.

Carlos “KKM” Martins has been appointed head of the referees’ panel and general manager of the tournament. Representatives of the local organization SAW will not be allowed to participate in the championship’s management, and if its own Counter-Strike 2 team participates, the organization will not receive any tournament privileges.

Photo — Roman Imperium Cup.