CS2 Stake Ranked Episode 3 Preview and Predictions

Stake Ranked Episode 3 is a Counter-Strike 2 A-Tier tournament taking place in Barcelona, Spain, from July 15 to 18. This will already be the third Stake tournament: the first was won by G2 Esports, while the second was won by Ninjas in Pyjamas, which is one of the main favorites to win Episode 3 as well. The tournament prize pool is $100,000, with $25,000 going to the winner.

Here, the full tournament information, schedule and predictions are reviewed. 

Stake Ranked Episode 3 format remains unchanged. A total of 8 teams will compete, starting the tournament in a Double Elimination Bracket. This means teams can lose once, but a second loss before the Grand Final means elimination from the tournament. 

Six esports teams qualified by VRS points, while K27 and Phantom earned their places through the Closed Qualifier.

All matches in the tournament will be played in BO3 format, while the Grand Final will be BO5. A loss before the Grand Final means that on Saturday, the final day, a team will need to play two matches: the Consolidation Final and then, almost immediately, the Grand Final. 

All teams participating in Stake Ranked Episode 3:

• paiN
• Ninjas in Pyjamas
• 3DMAX
• Wildcard
• HEROIC
• Gentle Mates
• K27
• Phantom

Stake Ranked Episode 3 is an A-Tier tournament where not all of the strongest esports teams will be seen, but several teams that will also appear in S-Tier tournaments this season will compete. Episode 3 takes place during the players break, when roster changes and preparation for the second half of the 2026 season are taking place.

Some teams will also enter the tournament shortly after making changes, so it will be an excellent opportunity to see how the refreshed rosters look. The main favorite in the tournament is Ninjas in Pyjamas, which won Episode 2. paiN and Heroic are also among the favorites. 

At the Stake website, bets are available on the tournament winner, along with individual match bets. The winner odds are shown below: 

Counter-Strike 2 Stake Ranked Episode 3 looks fairly balanced, as there are no such clear underdogs as there were in Episode 2.

The tournament format leaves almost no room for mistakes, so the opponents on the path to the Grand Final are very important. This is another reason why NIP is considered the favorite, as its path to the final looks fairly manageable. 

The defending champion Ninjas in Pyjamas arrives at the esports tournament with major ambitions. Every opponent is beatable, and it is no surprise that the Stake bookmaker identifies this team as the main favorite. 

NIP will play the tournament with a new player. “cairne” left the team and was replaced by “n0te”. Three players on the team have been competing together for more than a year, while “stavn” joined a few months ago and has already played with the team, so integrating the newcomer should not be difficult.

Ninjas in Pyjamas’ path at least to the Upper Bracket Final looks straightforward. The first match is against K27, and in case of a win, it would then need to play against Wildcard or Gentle Mates. There is a strong chance that the tournament will start with two wins, and then NIP will have two attempts to reach the Grand Final.

paiN is currently one of the most stable teams in the tournament, which also allows it to be included among the favorites. No changes have been made, “saffee” has been playing for several months, so the team is used to playing together. 

The first half of the 2026 season was not successful for paiN, as it failed to fight for higher places in S-Tier tournaments, but in this Stake Ranked Episode 3 it has every chance to battle for the title. 

The first match will be played against Phantom, where paiN can be considered the favorite, but already in the second match there is a potential meeting with Heroic, where it will become clear whether paiN can think about winning the tournament. 

Heroic is one of the most interesting teams in this tournament. If Stake Ranked Episode 3 were played a little later, Heroic could be considered the clear favorite. For now, this team’s chances are reduced by the fact that it will play with two new players who have only just joined the team. 

Last week, “Brollan” joined the team, replacing “xfl0ud”, while AWP player “MartinezSa” also arrived. Heroic played almost the entire first half of the 2026 season without an AWP player, and with “MartinezSa” arriving, the situation changes significantly. 

The addition of “Brollan” should give the team a lot, as he is the most experienced player on this roster. Heroic has not had much time to prepare for the tournament, but at the same time, other teams also do not really know what to expect from it.

Heroic has a good chance to debut with the new roster and immediately win the tournament. 

Stake Ranked Episode 3 starts on July 15, and the Grand Final will be played on July 18. The tournament will be played over four consecutive days. Four matches will take place on each of the first three days, while the final two matches will be played on Saturday. Full tournament schedule:

Stake Ranked Episode 3 takes place during the players break, so teams may not be in their best form. The tournament will feature both teams that have made changes and teams that have not changed at all. 

Although this is an A-Tier level tournament, it has major importance for teams, as it is an excellent opportunity to collect VRS points. The teams are at a similar level, so wins against each other have double value. 

It can be said that this tournament brings the second half of the 2026 season even closer, as the first S-Tier level tournament will already be played next week, with Heroic, paiN, Wildcard and Gentle Mates taking part. 

This is a LAN tournament where VRS points carry greater importance. The format is such that the opening matches are already very important, so maximum team focus can be expected, which is useful when looking for valuable bets at top bookmakers.