The competitive CS2 map is currently undergoing a major shift as ESL and BLAST have now confirmed the use of Anubis for the upcoming tournaments. This is a major milestone in the resumption of the Egyptian map’s use in professional esports events after months of speculation among fans.
Valve announced Anubis’s return to the map pool in Active Duty on January 9, 2026, in place of Train, from January 19, with the beginning of CS2 Premier Season 4. ESL quickly responded and included Anubis in their tournament setup from day one. The IEM Rio qualifiers from January 19 will include the new map rotation, with IEM Krakow 2026, the first LAN event of the year, starting from January 28.
BLAST Bounty 2026 follows suit, with the inclusion of the new map, Anubis, from January 13, thus becoming the first major competition to have the map in its rotation. Cohesiveness in the measures put in place by both ESL and BLAST shows incredible synergy in the world of Counter-Strike, thus eliminating the fragmentation that used to exist in the competition circuits.
The return of Anubis recognizes community concerns about Train’s presence in the Active Duty Matchmaking pool. Train’s popularity was low after a year in circulation, making professional teams challenging because they always relied on chosen map strategies.
In T-side on Anubis, Terrorists have maintained a 54.8 percent win rate in 2024 competitive games, which benefits teams who have traditionally performed well in CT-sided maps.
What’s your opinion on the map pool change? Do you prefer Anubis to Train? Or was the previous pool more appealing to you? Let us know in the comments below.