UKIC Masters Rulebook

This rulebook governs Season 12 of the UK & Ireland Circuit. All players who compete in the UK & Ireland Circuit agree to follow the rules outlined in this document. For any questions please contact the tournament officials and defer to their judgement.

For contact purposes please join the: UK & Ireland Circuit Discord

1.0 Definitions

Endpoint Esports LTD: An Esports Organisation based in Sheffield, UK and the owners of the UK & Ireland Circuit.
UKIC: The UK & Ireland Circuit, a grass-roots tournament and community platform.
Masters: The top Division within the UKIC.
Participants: Teams and players who participate in UKIC.
Team Core: A team’s core consists of three (3) players out of the five (5) players at a minimum.
Tournament Officials: Referees and other Officials involved in operating UKIC.
UKIC Partners: Organisations that are involved with and supporting UKIC.
Counter-Strike 2 (CS2): The game title utilised for the competition.
LAN Finals: The final of the competition hosted in the United Kingdom.
Publisher’s Rights: The rights held by the game publisher (Valve) in relation to the UKIC event.
Communication: The means of communication used by the Tournament Officials, participants, and partners, such as discord, chat, or voice communication.
Prize Money: The monetary rewards given to the winning teams of UKIC.
Match Broadcasting: The broadcasting of UKIC matches through online platforms such as streaming services.
Rights: The rights held by UKIC in relation to the broadcasting and promotion of UKIC matches.
Valve Corporation (Valve): The publisher of Counter-Strike 2 (CS2).
Valve Regional Standings (VRS): The official system for ranking the performance of Rosters published by Valve, provided for the respective regions and applied at the designated Invite Date.
Valve Tournament Operating Requirements (TOR): The official requirements to operate any event in the Counter-Strike 2 (CS2) ecosystem, created and operated by Valve.
ESIC: Esports Integrity Commission, the governing body monitoring integrity and match-fixing standards across Tier 1 and Tier 2 esports.

2.0 General Information

2.1 Changes to the Rules

The Tournament Officials reserve the right to alter any parts of the rules at any time before or during the event if it is considered reasonably necessary. The Tournament Officials also reserve the right to make decisions based on their best judgement and the information available at the time of the decision, for cases not specifically detailed in this rulebook.

This Rulebook is subject to change at the sole discretion of the Tournament Officials.

2.2 Compliance

By participating in the tournament, players accept with no reservations all mentioned regulations and agree that any decision made by Tournament Officials during the tournament supersedes these regulations. Any concerns regarding tournament integrity, including suspected cheating, match-fixing, account sharing, or betting violations, must be submitted directly to the Tournament Manager.

UKIC aligns with the Esports Integrity Commission (ESIC) Code of Conduct. Any player or organization with an active ESIC ban, Valve VAC ban (issued within the last 5 years), or proven match-fixing record is strictly ineligible to participate.

2.3 Valve Tournament Operating Requirements

UKIC Masters and Challengers is operated in compliance with Valve’s Tournament Operating Requirements, according to regulations set out for Tier 2 events.

The tournament format of each Division may be changed according to the needs of TO. The exact format and schedule will be presented to the invited teams by the TO prior to each competition.

Each Event Additional Information will be announced, as per Valve TOR, via @UKICircuit on X.

UKIC Masters and Challengers is operated in compliance with Valve’s Tournament Operating Requirements (TOR) for Tier 2 events. Format adjustments are at the discretion of the TO and will be shared with teams prior to competition. Additional event information will be published via @UKICircuit on X.

Conflict of Interest Policy: In accordance with Valve TOR, no organization, team owner, or tournament staff member may hold financial interests or operational control over more than one participating team in the same division. Tournament Officials employed by or affiliated with Endpoint Esports LTD who have operational responsibilities with Endpoint’s competing CS2 roster will be recused from refereeing, administrative decisions, or disciplinary rulings involving Endpoint's matches.

3.0 Tournament Information

3.1 Tournament Information

The format of UKIC Masters is as follows:

Event Stage	# Teams	Format	# Winners
Open Qualifiers	Open Sign-ups	Single Elimination BO1's
Semi Final BO3's for Qualification	4 Teams advance to next stage
Online Stage	4 Invited
4 Qualified	Double Elimination BO3 Matches	2 Teams advance to LAN Finals
LAN Finals	2 Qualified	BO5 Match	2 Prize Money Winners

UKIC reserves the right to add Open Qualifiers by announcing it via @UKICircuit on X with the Event Additional Information, as per the Valve TOR.

3.2 VRS Invites

If invites are used they will be based on VRS sub-lists, as follows:

Event	VRS Region & Sub Lists	Starting Rank	# Slots
UKIC Masters	Europe VRS
(UK, Ireland & Iceland Country Filter)	Starting from Rank 1 & ranked lower than 12 on the Global VRS list	4 Invites

If the number of eligible VRS Teams is lower than the total number of Direct VRS Invite slots, UKIC reserves the right to reallocate any unfilled slot(s) to Open Qualifiers. This reallocation will be announced via @UKICircuit on X prior to the event.

3.3 Invite Date

The Invite Date will be announced on a per event basis, with a minimum of 2 months prior to the event’s start date.

Teams have 72 hours to accept an invite. Failure to respond within this timeframe will be considered a declined invite.

Participants are expected to keep Tournament Officials up to date on relevant team contact details, as well as changes as they occur, to ensure invites are received as intended.

In accordance with Valve’s TOR, the Invite Date, VRS Dates, and Invite Breakdown will be published via @UKICircuit on X along with the Event’s Additional Information.

3.4 Team Replacements

If a team cannot, for any reason, participate in the tournament a replacement may be attributed to the next highest-ranked team available, VRS Team, using the same filters and Invite VRS.

UKIC reserves the right to deny any team replacement if it is deemed to disrupt the competitive flow, schedule, or integrity of the event. In such cases, the original team will remain in the bracket and all remaining matches will be forfeited until the team is officially eliminated from the tournament.

3.5 Open Qualifier Slots

Any team that qualifies through Open Qualifiers must be fully eligible to compete in the regional event, in line with Valve’s Tournament Operating Requirements and the UKIC Rulebook. This includes:

The core roster, for all matches, must currently reside in the region they are competing in.
The core roster used to qualify (at least 3 of the 5 players) must be maintained for all starting matches of the regional event.
Any changes to the qualified roster must be pre-approved by Tournament Officials.

Teams that don’t meet these requirements may be disqualified or replaced without further notice.

3.6 Seeding

The Seeding will be announced on a per event basis, with the Event Additional Information, via @UKICircuit on X.

Seeding across all tournament stages follows these metrics in order

Valve Regional Standings for Europe as of 5th October 2026
UKIC Season 11 Placements
ESEA S58 Average Placements
Average FACEIT ELO

Note: In accordance with Valve TOR 3.4.3, all rosters holding an official Global VRS rank will automatically be seeded above unranked rosters across all tournament stages, regardless of secondary metrics.

3.7 Publisher’s Rights

The Publisher (Valve) reserves the right to remove any player or team from the tournament for any reason. In such a case, the player or team will be disqualified.

3.8 Communication

All official communication between participants and the Tournament Organizer will take place via Discord. For Masters, dedicated Discord channels will be created to include team captains, managers, and any other team members from all participating teams.

Teams are responsible for actively monitoring Discord for match updates, scheduling information, and general tournament announcements. Each team must ensure at least one representative has joined the official Discord server prior to their first UKIC match.

UKIC reserves the right to remove any participant from the Discord server for any breach of tournament rules.

Please use the link below to join: UK & Ireland Circuit Discord

3.9 Prize Money

Total Prize Pool per Season: £2,500 (~ $3,303.50 USD) 1st Place: £1,700 (~ $2,246.38 USD) 2nd Place: £800 (~ $1,057.12 USD)

Prize money will be disbursed within 30 to 45 business days following the conclusion of the season, contingent upon receipt of a valid invoice and tax documentation submitted by the winning team/organization.

Failure to submit required documentation within 30 days of season completion may result in payment delays.

3.10 Match Broadcasting

3.10.1 Rights

All of the broadcasting rights of UKIC are owned by Endpoint Esports LTD.

This includes, but is not limited to: Broadcast streams, video streams, podcast streams, radio streams, GOTV, replays, demos, and TV Broadcasts.

By participating in UKIC, each team and team member consents that their likeness (logo, voice, image, name, nickname, etc) are recorded and broadcasted live and on demand on streaming platforms designated by the organiser.

UKIC retains the rights to utilising all UKIC footage at its own discretion.

3.10.2 Protection of Rights

The tournament organiser has the right to protect its own products created during or after the tournament from rebroadcast or unauthorised usage in post-production.

3.10.3 Teams' Compliance

Teams may not refuse to have their matches broadcasted by UKIC authorised broadcasts, nor can they choose in what manner the match will be broadcasted. The broadcast can only be rejected by the Tournament Officials. The teams agree to cooperate so that the broadcasting of matches can take place.

3.11 Betting on Matches

No players, team managers, staff, or management of attending organisations can place any bets on or be involved in betting or gambling, associate with betters or gamblers, or provide any third party with information that may assist betting or gambling, either directly or indirectly for any UKIC matches or event.

3.12 Roster Eligibility

If a roster is unable to participate, fails to respond within 72 hours of receipt of an invite or chooses to decline a direct VRS Invite, the invite will be extended to the next roster in order of the VRS, with respective filters applied (if any), until all tournament slots are filled.

Invited rosters must field at least three (3) of their original five invited players for the entirety of every event match. Failure to meet this requirement will result in an automatic match forfeit per Valve TOR 3.10.1.

3.13 Team Commitment & Withdrawals

Once a team has confirmed its participation in a UKIC event, UKIC reserves the right to deny any withdrawal requests. Any team attempting to withdraw before being officially eliminated from the tournament may be subject to automatic match forfeits.

In accordance with Valve’s TOR, forfeiting a match may result in the loss of VRS Points. UKIC bears no responsibility for any penalties, point deductions or eligibility consequences arising from forfeits, as these are enforced by Valve.

Teams are expected to fulfil their tournament commitments in full once participation is confirmed. Forfeiting matches or withdrawing may also impact a team’s eligibility for future UKIC invitations.

Forfeiting matches or withdrawing will also result in forfeiture of any Prize Money accumulated up to that point.

4.1 Participation in UKIC Masters

4.1 Player & Team Eligibility

4.1.1 Player Eligibility

All players must be residing in Europe.
Players must follow the FACEIT site rules and are unable to compete if they have an active login or game ban on FACEIT. If you are banned from FACEIT you are not permitted to use another account to bypass this ban.
To be eligible to participate, all players must have installed and use the FACEIT AC, failure to do so will revoke a player's eligibility.
A player's steam name and account can not contain any inappropriate or offensive names, clan tags or images.
Competing players cannot have any outstanding UK & Ireland Club Bans (bans 1 month or greater).

4.1.2 Roster Eligibility

The total number of team members must not exceed 8 (including 5 players, 2 stand-in and a coach).

A team must always have at least 3 players in the server that are either citizens or residents of the following countries:

United Kingdom (England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland)
Republic of Ireland
Iceland
Isle of Man
Jersey
Guernsey

All other players must be playing from countries of the EU Region.

No player transfers between teams will be allowed within the same season.

If a player participated in a single match for one team during a UKIC Season, they will not be eligible to play for a different participating team in the same season.

Any changes to the team must be approved by Tournament Officials before any upcoming match. This includes, but is not limited to:

Adding or removing players
Changing the team name or team logo

4.1.3 Stand-in Rules

Stand-ins are eligible provided they have not competed for any other team in the current UKIC Season.

Stand-in submissions must be reported and approved by Tournament Officials via Discord at least one (1) hour prior to the scheduled match start time.

Stand-ins cannot be selected from a team currently active in the same stage or division. Once a stand-in plays a live match, they are locked to that roster for the season. Roster changes mid-map are strictly forbidden. All line-ups must maintain the minimum 3 out of 5 VRS / Core / UK, IE, IS roster requirement.

4.1.4 Coach Rules

Teams are allowed to designate one (1) official coach for matches. The designated coach may step in as a stand-in in accordance with 4.1.3 Stand-in Rules.

1. Online Stages Communication:

Coaches are permitted to speak freely and communicate continuously with their team in voice chat throughout all online stages of the tournament.
Players are allowed to provide a private low-latency stream of the match to their coach for tactical purposes. Unauthorized access or public re-broadcasting of this stream is strictly prohibited.

2. LAN Finals Rules & Restrictions:

Communication Restrictions: During the LAN Finals, coaches are strictly restricted to speaking and communicating only during the Half-Time break and official Tactical Timeouts. Coaches must remain muted and refrain from communicating (verbally or via text/gestures) during live rounds, freeze times, and round transitions.
Initiating Timeouts: Coaches are permitted to initiate a tactical timeout on stage by making a clear "timeout" hand sign (forming a 'T' shape with their hands) directly in front of their In-Game Leader (IGL).
Physical Interaction & Celebrations: Coaches may fist bump players between rounds once the round has officially concluded. However, over-enthusiastic celebrations (e.g., shouting into players' ears, aggressive slapping, excessive physical contact, or shouting toward the opposing team) are strictly prohibited. Tournament Officials reserve the right to issue warnings, revoke timeout privileges, or remove a coach from the stage area for disruptive behaviour.

4.2 Match Rules and Details

4.2.1 Counter-Strike Version

UKIC will use the most up-to-date version of Counter-Strike 2

4.2.2 Map List

Ancient
Anubis
Cache
Dust2
Inferno
Mirage
Nuke

4.2.3 FACEIT Matchroom Cycle

Vote for server
Higher Seed (Left team) pick who starts map veto
Vote for maps
Choose Line-up
Play

4.2.4 Map Veto

Format	Veto & Pick Sequence	Decider & Side Selection Rules
Best of 1 (BO1)	1. Team A — Ban

Team B — Ban
Team B — Ban
Team A — Ban
Team A — Ban
Team B — Ban | Map 1: Final map remaining.

Sides: Determined by knife round. | | Best of 3 (BO3) | 1. Team A — Ban

Team B — Ban
Team A — Pick (Map 1)
Team B — Pick (Map 2)
Team A — Ban
Team B — Ban | Map 3 (Decider): Final map remaining.

Sides (Maps 1 & 2): Opposing team receives side choice.

Sides (Decider): Determined by knife round. | | Best of 5 (BO5) | 1. Team A — Ban

Team B — Ban
Team A — Pick (Map 1)
Team B — Pick (Map 2)
Team A — Pick (Map 3)
Team B — Pick (Map 4) | Map 5 (Decider): Final map remaining.

Sides (Maps 1–4): Opposing team receives side choice.

Sides (Decider): Determined by knife round. |

FACEIT Technical Note: On FACEIT, all game servers automatically execute a knife round. For maps where side selection is granted to the opposing team (picked maps), the picking team must forfeit the knife round to allow the opponent to choose their starting side. Knife rounds are played normally on Decider maps and in BO1 matches.

4.2.5 Match Configuration

Server Configuration

Max Rounds: 24
Max Rounds for overtime: 6
Overtime start money: $12,500
Freeze time : 20 seconds
Warmup time: 600 seconds for BO3's, 300 for BO1's
CSTV Delay: 120 seconds

Tactical Pause

3 x 30 second tactical timeouts throughout regulation
1 time outs are added when regulation ends.
1 time out is added on next overtime
Maximum of 1 timeouts per overtime

Tactical Pauses can be initiated either via the in-game menu or via the following game chat commands:

!timeout / .timeout
!tac / .tac

Tactical pauses can be used at any time but will come into effect at the next freeze time, or immediately if called during a freeze time.

Technical Pause

5 Minutes of technical pause

Technical Pauses can be initiated via the following game chat commands:

!pause / .pause
!tech / .tech

Technical pauses can be used at any time but will come into effect at the next freeze time, or immediately if called during a freeze time.

4.2.6 Match Start Rules

Match vetoes will begin at the scheduled time of match displayed on the page, the captain must be ready to veto at this time. If the captain will not be available for the match, the team must inform the admin team so the captaincy can be transferred.

All matches must start 10 minutes after the veto has finished with all 10 players joining the server. Otherwise the match will be forfeited by the team that has not joined.

In the event of a technical issue where the team has made an admin aware and the affected player is present within the matchroom, the game server can be restarted with no forfeit.

Teams must have all 5 players present on the server for a match to take place. Teams are not allowed to start with 4v5, 3v5 etc

Agent skins are forbidden, if an opposing team is using them they must be reported before the match, no action will be taken after the match has ended.

If an emergency substitute is required, it must be done before the match has gone live as hot-swapping a player is not possible on FACEIT. For the team requiring a substitute the match can be restarted if the score is 1-0, with that team then forfeiting the pistol round, with the opposing team given the best monetary round win conditions.

A team can not intentionally stall the match configuration or intentionally break the match start procedure.

4.2.7 Reschedule Rules

Reschedule requests must be made through each match channel in the UK & Ireland Circuit Discord.

Matches can only be rescheduled within the same week as the initial default day

Example: If a team wishes to reschedule a game default set to April 28, 2026 20:30 they will only be able to play during the following time frame: April 27, 2026 → May 3, 2026

All reschedule requests must be approved by an admin.

4.2.8 TeamSpeak

Players will be using a TeamSpeak server provided by the tournament organizer in order to maintain the integrity of the competition.

Teams are allowed to have 5 players and a coach during a live game in their TeamSpeak channel.

All voice comms will be recorded but not shared publicly.

Teams are eligible to request their own recordings which shall be provided to them via Tournament Officials.

4.2.9 Match Rules

Any form of cheating or hacking is strictly forbidden in UKIC matches and will see the player disqualified from the tournament, as well as potentially their team, any act of cheating will be reported to FACEIT. Cheating in other tournaments will also subject a player to punishment pending evidence submitted from other Tournament Organizers.

Any attempt at gaining an unfair advantage is forbidden, this includes but not limited to:

Any map exploits - such as bypassing clipping, silent plants, plants outside the intended bomb sites, pixel walking or out of map positioning, interacting through solid objects and unintentional grenade exploits such as the Molotov clipping through vertigo mid and t stairs. We follow ESL’s defined list of pixel walks which you can view here

movement automations via script or hardware, this includes but not limited to:

null bind scripts in config files
Snap Tap / SOCD, Rappy Snappy or other hardware equivalent

Players triggering Valve's in-game automation eviction or attempting to bypass sub-tick movement constraints will instantly forfeit the current map and face review for multi-match suspension.

Intentionally impacting the flow of the game, such as players leaving and re-joining the server to influence player cash, saving in unintended locations, planting the bomb in a position where it is impossible for a counter terrorist to defuse.

If there is any advantage a team would like clarified please reach out to the admin team.

4.2.10 Round Not Live / “NL”

If a player or team is having technical issues at the start of a round they can call “Not Live” or “NL” via the in-game all chat, initiate a Technical Pause and call an Admin. This informs the opposition team that a player is having an issue and the current round is invalid.

Once the round has ended and the Technical Pause has started the affected player / team must follow 4.2.10 Technical Issues
If the opposition team believes the “Not Live” has been called outside the scope of 4.2.11 Match Interruptions they can continue to play the round as normal and contest the “Not Live” with an Admin during the Tech Pause
The Admin will have the final say if the round will be restored for the team affected by the issue or awarded to the team contesting the “Not Live”

4.2.11 Technical Issues

In the case of an Online Match:

Teams are limited to five (5) minutes of technical pauses per map. After this time has run out a Team may use a tactical timeout to allow more time to resolve issues(s).

Teams are allowed to donate a portion of their technical time to their opponent during the match.

If an issue cannot be resolved within the allotted five (5) minutes, Team(s) can request additional time from an Admin via Discord. This additional time will be given at the discretion of the Admin dealing with the situation.

If, after the additional time the technical issue can not be rectified, the affected team will forfeit the map / match. In the event of a BO3 the affected team will have an additional fifteen (15) minutes to rectify the issue or use a listed substitute.

Players must continue to play out any ongoing round until the pause has come into effect to allow Admins to make a decision according to the Rulebook.

The misuse of a Technical Pause for a non-technical issue will result in the game being un-paused.

4.2.12 Match Interruptions

Any match interruption should be immediately reported to UKIC Admins by the Team and any Participant also affected.

In the case of a technical issue the round will be restarted unless the round has reached the point of incidents.

The point of incident is to be deﬁned exclusively by the UKIC Admin, generally this will include either team receiving significant damage, a clear information advantage, or the round has less than one (1) minute remaining.

4.3 Match Punishments

4.3.1 Conduct, Sportsmanship & Sanctions

All participants must maintain professional sportsmanship, respect, and integrity towards opponents, Tournament Officials, admins, viewers, and broadcast staff at all times.

This Code of Conduct applies to all official UKIC environments, including in-game all-chat, official TeamSpeak/Discord servers, social media channels, official stream chats, and the physical LAN stage area.

Tier 1: Unsportsmanlike Conduct (Minor): Includes excessive mid-game taunting, all-chat spam, passive-aggressive behavior towards admins/opponents, or mild delays in match progression.
Tier 2: Severe Toxicity & Abuse (Major): Includes directed verbal abuse or harassment aimed at admins, opponents, or broadcast staff; deliberate spamming to disrupt official communications; inappropriate or offensive Steam/FACEIT nicknames, avatars, or clan tags; and unauthorized public leaking of private match room/admin communications.
Tier 3: Hate Speech & Zero Tolerance (Critical): Includes any form of racism, homophobia, sexism, religious discrimination, xenophobia, sexual harassment, threats of violence, or doxxing.

Infraction Severity	First Offense	Second Offense	Third / Extreme Offense
Tier 1 (Minor)	Official Warning #1	Official Warning #2 (Final Warning)	Map Forfeit
Tier 2 (Major)	Map Forfeit & 10% Prize Deduction	Match Forfeit & Prize Forfeiture	Disqualification & 1-Season Ban
Tier 3 (Critical)	Immediate Disqualification & 6-Month Ban	Permanent Circuit Ban & Referral to ESIC	Permanent Circuit Ban

Note: Tournament Officials reserve the right to escalate penalties immediately for extreme cases of harassment, violence, or hate speech without prior warnings.

4.3.2 Match Forfeiture & No Shows

Scheduled Match Forfeit (Prior Notice): If a team is unable to play a fixture due to an unavoidable scheduling conflict and provides written notice to Tournament Officials via Discord at least 24 hours prior to match time, the team will forfeit only that specific match/series. The team will remain in the bracket/league and continue competing in all remaining fixtures.

Unannounced Forfeit / No-Show: If a team fails to appear for a scheduled match without prior notice, or forfeits with less than 24 hours' notice without an admin-approved emergency, the team will be deemed a "No-Show." A No-Show results in immediate disqualification from the tournament, forfeiture of all remaining matches, complete loss of accumulated prize money, and potential review for future season bans.

Maximum Forfeit Limit: To preserve competitive integrity, a team may only issue a scheduled match forfeit once (1) per tournament stage. A second forfeit within the same stage will result in an automatic disqualification and bracket removal.

Rulebooks

UKIC Masters S12 Rulebook

UKIC Masters S12 Additional Info

UK & Ireland Circuit Rulebook

UK & Ireland Club Rulebook