CS2 community, pro teams rally against CSGOEmpire tournament following stage rush

In the wake of an abrasive scene at the PGL Copenhagen CS2 Major playoffs, fans and community figures are calling for teams and players to drop out of an upcoming event held by those responsible.

During halftime of the quarterfinal match between G2 Esports and MOUZ today, individuals in the crowd associated with the Counter-Strike skin-betting site CSGOEmpire rushed the stage in an attempt to disrupt the game. In doing so, CSGOEmpire drew the ire of the wider Counter-Strike community, and many have since begun calling for a boycott against an upcoming tournament primarily sponsored by the site, the CSGOEmpire Cup, which is set to start April 3.

Following the incident, many players and members of the community posted to X (formerly Twitter) and implored teams and players planning to compete at the CSGOEmpire Cup to exit the event. Eastern European organization Nexus announced minutes after the match ended that it will withdraw its roster from the tournament “due to the shocking and disturbing nature of recents events.” MOUZ NXT coach Tobias “TOBIZ” Theo posted on X saying their roster is not going to play either. SINNERS CEO Moritz Straube also said “Fuck your tournament, we’re out you fucking scumbags.”

Numerous other teams have been invited—including Team Secret, BLEED, GamerLegion, 9 Pandas—as well as various academy rosters for teams like Virtus.pro, Astralis, and ENCE.

There’s a strong chance the CSGOEmpire Cup may not even start to begin with. During a three-hour livestream on Kick, the owner of CSGOEmpire began offering “thousands” to viewers to rush the stage, even offering willing participants the use of handcuffs to cause more of disturbance, as first reported by Dust2.us.

Following the match, PGL released a statement confirming it will be pressing charges against the disruptors, meaning the CSGOEmpire owners could find themselves legally liable for causing the incident. Aside from those legal troubles, this scene at the first CS2 Major could very well draw the wrathful eye of Valve and spell trouble.