Official Rulebook

Tournament rules

Name: RESPAWN HEATWAVE 2026
Start: 2026-08-10T18:00:00+03:00

Read these before registering. By submitting a team, the captain confirms the whole roster accepts the rulebook and admin authority.

01Tournament format

5v5 - Double Elimination, hosted on Faceit.
The tournament is played online, except the semifinals and the finals, which are played live at Respawn Gaming Lounge's premises.
Up to 16 teams. Bracket and seeding are managed on Faceit by Respawn admins.
A loss in the upper bracket drops a team to the lower bracket; a second loss eliminates them. Upper bracket matches are BO1, lower bracket matches are BO3, and the Grand Final is BO5.
Match start times are announced on Discord and on the Faceit championship page.

Map pool: Ancient, Nuke, Mirage, Inferno, Cache, Dust II.
Which veto process applies depends on that round's match format: upper bracket (BO1), lower bracket (BO3), or the Grand Final (BO5). Team A/Team B assignment for veto purposes follows Faceit seeding for that match.
BO1 veto: Team A bans a map, Team B bans a map, Team A bans a map, Team B bans a map, Team A bans a map, Team B bans a map. The remaining map is played - a knife round decides starting side.
BO3 veto: Team A bans a map, Team B bans a map, Team A picks a map (Team B picks starting side), Team B picks a map (Team A picks starting side), Team A bans a map, Team B bans a map. The remaining map is played - a knife round decides starting side.
BO5 veto: Team A bans a map, Team B bans a map, Team A picks a map (Team B picks starting side), Team B picks a map (Team A picks starting side), Team A picks a map (Team B picks starting side), Team B picks a map (Team A picks starting side). The remaining map is played - a knife round decides starting side.

Open to all players unless previously banned from Respawn Gaming Lounge events.
All players must be at least 18 years old at the time of registration.
All players must hold Lebanese nationality.
Every player must own CS2 in good standing (no VAC ban on record for CS:GO/CS2).
Players may only be rostered on one team. A Steam account or Faceit account found on two rosters disqualifies the later registration.

Rosters are exactly 5 main players + 2 substitute players (7 total).
Substitutes may swap in between maps, or mid-match only with admin approval (e.g. disconnect emergencies).
Roster changes after registration require admin approval and are locked once the bracket is published.
Stand-ins not on the registered roster are not allowed.

Every player needs an active Faceit account with CS2 enabled, matching the username submitted at registration.
The Steam account submitted at registration must match the account used in matches.
Accounts must be the player's own primary account - smurfing or account sharing is a disqualifiable offense.
All players must join the Faceit championship lobby before check-in closes.

Check-in opens 60 minutes and closes 15 minutes before the scheduled start, on Faceit and in the Discord server.
All 5 main players must check in. Teams that miss check-in forfeit their slot to a waitlisted team where possible.

Teams have 10 minutes from the official match start to be fully connected, after a 10-minute grace period the match is forfeited 0-1.
Repeated delays across the event can result in removal without refund.
If a server/platform issue is at fault, admins will pause the match and fix the issue - admin word is final on what counts as a technical issue.

Matches are organized by the Lebanese Esports Federation and played on the Faceit platform, with standard competitive CS2 settings (MR12, overtime MR3).
Pauses: each team has 3 tactical pauses (1 minute each) per map.
Technical timeouts are limited to 1 per team per map, up to 5 minutes, and require an admin or captain call-out in match chat.
Score disputes must be raised with screenshots/demos before the next round of the bracket starts.

Faceit Anti-Cheat is mandatory for every player in every match.
Any cheat detection, ban, or refusal to run AC results in immediate team disqualification without refund.
Admins may request demos or a screen-share at any time. Refusing a review counts as a forfeit.

Hate speech, harassment, threats, or discriminatory language - in-game, in chat, or on Discord - leads to warnings, round penalties, or disqualification at admin discretion.
Intentional throwing, match-fixing, or betting on your own matches is an instant ban from all Respawn events.
Captains are responsible for their team's conduct, including bench players and any supporters they bring.

Entry fee is $125 / team, paid via Whish to the number shown on your payment page, with your registration code in the note.
A team is only officially registered once an admin approves its payment proof.
Full refund if the event is canceled by the organizers, or if your team withdraws before the registration deadline.
No refunds for withdrawals after the deadline, no-shows, or disqualifications.

Tournament admins, in coordination with the Lebanese Esports Federation, have final authority on all disputes, including anything not explicitly covered by these rules.
Rules may be updated before the event starts; registered captains will be notified on Discord of any changes.