Pakistan is preparing to host its first international Counter-Strike 2 (CS2) tournament as the country shows efforts to develop the local esports scene.

The joint venture OffStrike, formed by local companies Spotcomm and ViderMedia, will hold the tournament in March 2026. The event at DreamWorld Resort in Karachi will involve six teams from Europe, Asia, and Pakistan competing for a $10,000 prize pool. Spotcomm and ViderMedia will cover travel and accommodation costs for participating teams.

At the official event website, organisers state that OffStrike “aligns with Valve’s Ranked Tier 2 requirements. HLTV.org, following our application, will determine which stages and matches count toward VRS.”

The event will test local infrastructure. Hassam Sohail Ahmed, Founder and CEO of Spotcomm, said the company would provide the event’s “entire technology and infrastructure layer.” Mohsin Haroon, Founder and CEO of ViderMedia, stated in a press release that the event aims to “put Pakistan on the map for other TOs [tournament organisers] in the region.”

Subscribe to our TER newsletters here! Including On The Radar a quick weekly wrap up of all esports business stories, and the fortnightly Heat Map, a deeper dive into the stories not to be missed across esports business and culture worldwide.

Pakistani competitors have recently gained international recognition. Tekken player Arslan ‘ASH’ Siddique, a multi-time Evo champion which was recently featured in a Red Bull documentary, and Team 4Thrives Esports, which qualified for the 2025 Esports World Cup, are prominent examples.

According to Spotcomm’s CMO Muhammad Soaman Faruqi, the path to a premier CS2 event followed the local scene’s growth. “Mobile esports (PUBG Mobile) and Tekken have historically been the biggest titles in Pakistan because of accessibility, but Counter-Strike has always had a large and active audience,” he told The Esports Radar, adding that online tournaments regularly attract over 150 teams.

This activity occurs as the Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication (MoITT) moves to develop Pakistan’s first National Esports Policy. A meeting in July 2025 chaired by Federal Minister Shaza Fatima Khawaja outlined a strategy to recognise esports as an economic sector, focusing on digital skills training and employment. The British Esports Federation participated in the discussions.

The simultaneous advancement of a major international tournament and a federal esports policy indicates a structured approach to developing the industry in Pakistan.

Follow The Esports Radar on social media: