Esports tournament organisers ESL and BLAST have announced changes to their Counter-Strike 2 map pools following Valve‘s decision to adjust the first-person shooter title’s Active Duty map pool.
As a result of the change made on January 9th, IEM Kraków 2026 and BLAST Bounty Season 1 2026 will feature Anubis in place of Train.
Anubis will make its return to Tier 1 competition during the BLAST Bounty closed qualifiers, taking place from January 13th to 18th. Considering the short time between the change and the start of the tournament, it will be interesting to see whether competing teams choose to pick the map.
Alongside BLAST, ESL revealed that the change of map pool has ‘come into effect immediately’ for its ESL Pro Tour tournament circuit. The qualifiers for IEM Rio 2026 will include Anubis, alongside IEM Kraków 2026, the organiser’s first LAN event of the year.
The map returns to Active Duty following a six-month absence, as it was dropped out of the map pool in favour of Overpass as part of Premier Season Three’s launch in July 2025.
ESL and BLAST are no strangers to reacting quickly to Valve’s adjustments to CS2’s competitive map pool. Shortly after Overpass returned, both tournament organisers updated their respective map pools to ensure their events feature the correct set of battlegrounds.
What’s Next for Counter-Strike Esports?
Following a break after the StarLadder Budapest Major, the attention of the Counter-Strike esports scene turns towards the start of BLAST Bounty Season 1, the first Tier 1 event of the 2026 season.
32 teams from across the world will compete in online qualifiers for high-value bounties and a chance to earn a place at the eight-team LAN finals in Malta. A total of $500,000 (~£371,262) in prize money will be available through the bounty format, along with Valve Regional Standings (VRS) points.
