9z beat PARIVISION 3-0 in the July 12 final in Guangzhou, capping a $1 million tournament that drew 16 international teams without visible crypto or blockchain sponsorship.
XSE Pro League Guangzhou 2026 concluded in Guangzhou, China, with 9z sweeping PARIVISION 3-0 in the best-of-5 grand final on July 12 to win $260,000. The offline Counter-Strike 2 event, organized by Xinsai Esports and held from July 1 to July 12 across venues including Friendship Hall and South China Agricultural University Gymnasium, featured 16 teams and a $1 million prize pool. The tournament stood out for the absence of cryptocurrency sponsorship, blockchain branding, token-based rewards or NFT fan features despite its global audience and top-tier scale. 9z reached the final after a 2-1 semifinal win over Alliance, and the event was described as the inaugural Tier-1 CS2 ranking tournament in China’s Greater Bay Area, underlining renewed commercial interest in bringing high-level esports back to southern China amid China’s restrictive stance on cryptocurrency.