CROSSFIRE reveals pool draw for CS2 Season 7, eight teams skip to playoffs

CROSSFIRE has confirmed the draw for Season 7 of its NA league, locking in the path for 56 teams before the round-robin stage opens next week, Dust2.us reported.

The season itself is set to begin on 2 November, according to Dust2.us, with the opening round-robin matches following shortly after the draw was published.

As in the previous season, 48 of the 56 teams have been split into twelve four-team pools that will each play a round-robin format. The top two sides by wins in every pool progress to the playoffs.

Eight teams have bypassed that stage entirely by virtue of their standing on the NA VRS rankings. Those direct qualifiers are Without a Roof, LAG, Marsborne, regain, Iowa Stormboar, Overtake, Chicken Coop and FarmVille Down, Dust2.us reported.

Without a Roof's inclusion carries extra weight: the side won Season 6 and returns to defend that title having already secured its playoff spot without needing to survive the group phase.

Those eight byes will be slotted alongside the two highest-placed finishers from each group once the round-robin stage concludes, forming a 32-team double-elimination bracket to decide the Season 7 champion.

The 48 teams outside the automatic qualifiers are split across pools labelled A through L. Villainous headlines Pool A alongside Counterstrike Team, Axial and Boluo. EMPIRE leads Pool B with NXG, House Platypus ESC and Cheapsuits. Club 333 tops Pool C ahead of New Legeds, 027FAM and MILK.

Wanted Goons feature in Pool D alongside Addice, Hairy Scary Bandits and DankerMemerson, while NuTorious headlines Pool E with Phantom Sense, my life be like and Keep Talking — all five named by Dust2.us as notable ranked sides entering through the pool stage rather than on a bye.

The remaining seven pools complete the draw: Feistein, Holly Molly, Old Meta and O`Fire form Pool F; Olympus, NorthForge, NoName and Orbit make up Pool G; DETONATE, Omen, SquadUp and Vlandian Knights sit in Pool H; KODEX, Ninefly, Enigma and PBP are drawn into Pool I; NZ, Endless, ThirdSite and Biggie Cheese Fan Club form Pool J; Elusive, Fathom, Amplus and Swole Patrol make up Pool K; and FlyQuest RED, Celestial, Fueled by Hate and Solar Gravity complete Pool L.

With the round-robin schedule due to run before the season's 2 November start, attention now turns to which pool winners and runners-up join the eight bye teams in the 32-team playoff field.