{"id":1217182,"date":"2026-02-22T15:34:51","date_gmt":"2026-02-22T15:34:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/xJk46iFuKCSmJsud7kiprD"},"modified":"2026-02-22T15:34:51","modified_gmt":"2026-02-22T15:34:51","slug":"after-almost-18-years-team-fortress-2-just-had-its-toughest-tournament-ever-and-there-could-be-more-to-come","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/arcader.org\/news\/after-almost-18-years-team-fortress-2-just-had-its-toughest-tournament-ever-and-there-could-be-more-to-come\/","title":{"rendered":"After almost 18 years, Team Fortress 2 just had its toughest tournament ever, and there could be more to come"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Team Fortress 2 resides in the long shadows cast by Valve’s pair of popular titans, Dota 2 and Counter-Strike 2. But the class-based FPS has managed to endure despite its little-brother status, perpetuated by a passionate community that includes a competitive scene that’s still producing fireworks.<\/p>\n

During May\u2019s Physgun Fireside Denver<\/u><\/a> LAN, one fan I spoke to called the tricontinental tournament \u201cthe toughest competition in TF2 history.\u201d The game is nearing 18 years of age, and the caliber of competition has only increased during that time. I\u2019ve spent 2,900 hours in-game and frankly, the worst player on the worst team at Fireside Denver could run circles around me before taunting over my ragdolled corpse\u2060\u2014it’d be like a Little Leaguer stepping up to the plate against Shohei Ohtani.<\/p>\n

\u201cRight now the competitive scene is probably the best it\u2019s ever been,\u201d said SOAPYMEiSTER, who plays Soldier for the American superteam Like a G6<\/u><\/a>\u2060\u2014or just \u201cG6\u201d to fans. What does a TF2 superteam look like, you ask?<\/p>\n

\n
\n
\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

In TF2\u2019s biggest competitive gamemode, \u201cSixes,\u201d teams typically stand by a highly optimized composition: two Scouts, two Soldiers, one Demoman, one Medic. Possessing ample mobility, each of these \u201cgeneralist\u201d classes can both participate in and flee fights efficiently, leading to a speed-centric Sixes metagame strategized around TF2\u2019s skill-intensive movement system.<\/p>\n

Slower classes like Heavy and Engineer only emerge when a team is holed up defending their final control point. Pyro is similarly useful in niche situations, able to negate a Medic\u2019s \u00dcbercharge with well-timed airblasts. Sniper and Spy see occasional but glamorous action, usually being deployed to assassinate the enemy Medic or other valuable targets.<\/p>\n

\n
\n

Sniping’s a good job mate@FiresideCasts @TF2Essentials @physgunofficial #denverlan #product pic.twitter.com\/crtDO994UAMay 26, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Team Fortress titans<\/h2>\n

G6 bulldozed their way through Fireside Denver, going undefeated en route to the grand finals. But many fans in attendance had favored a different North American team: Froyotech<\/u><\/a>, the historical dynasty of competitive TF2.<\/p>\n

Ask any fan who they consider the greatest player of all time. The answer will come in chorus: Grant \u201cb4nny\u201d Vincent. As Froyotech\u2019s founder and captain, b4nny is unique in having forged a full-fledged career out of playing Valve\u2019s wacky hat game competitively\u2060\u2014far from the spotlight of mainstream esports glory, most pro-level TF2 players are amateurs with day jobs.<\/p>\n

Since the team\u2019s inception in 2014, Froyotech has earned six gold medals at international LANs, more cash winnings than just about every other team combined, as well as respect, envy, and enmity from different corners of the community.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m better than you, b4nny!\u201d howled Taz, a Soldier player representing the Philippines, after scoring a nasty frag on the veteran during a Saturday match. Though Froyotech would trounce Taz\u2019s team in the end, it was an early warning sign. Something clearly wasn\u2019t clicking for the once-ascendant North Americans.<\/p>\n

\n
\n
\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\u201cFroyo has a very complex system,\u201d Habib, the team’s world-renowned Demoman, told me. \u201cWe\u2019re used to crowds, but we still crumbled under pressure. It\u2019s all about timing, positioning, execution, and we couldn\u2019t keep up that coordination.\u201d<\/p>\n

In the playoffs, Froyotech would fall to an unexpected adversary: Witness Gaming Australia<\/u><\/a> (WG-AU). With competitive TF2 such a niche concern, it takes dedication to get a Down Under team to Denver. Enter Ian \u201cWitness\u201d Faulkner, an esports enthusiast who personally sponsored the Australian and European teams, even taking them hiking in the Rocky Mountains.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve spent $7,000 on this trip so far. I\u2019m not going to make any of that back,\u201d Faulkner said with a shrug. WG-AU also managed to successfully crowdfund<\/u><\/a> $8,100 AUD ($5,200 USD). Still, even a perfect performance at a LAN wouldn\u2019t offset the heavy costs that come with circumnavigating the globe\u2014an unfortunate con of community-operated competitive scenes like this one.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen it comes to TF2, I see parallels to Smash Bros \u2026 Valve and Nintendo don\u2019t support these communities<\/u><\/a>,\u201d Faulkner suggested. \u201cThey play Smash for bags of rice<\/u><\/a> in Japan. We\u2019re at one of the most stacked TF2 tournaments of all time and we’re basically playing for bags of rice.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n
\n
\n

\"Witness<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>

Witness Gaming EU enjoying the big stage at Physgun Fireside in Lakewood, CO. <\/span>(Image credit: Bethnicz)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

But what\u2019s a better distraction from finances than a victory over the greatest team in TF2 history, at the game’s most prestigious LAN in eight years? \u201cHonestly, I was shitting myself,\u201d said Conor, a Soldier for WG-AU. \u201cJust to play against Froyo would have been special, but to win? It\u2019s the biggest moment we\u2019ve ever had.\u201d<\/p>\n

Not the biggest moment for long, though. In the semifinals, the Aussies faced Balls LAN Team, an ensemble of experienced pros who had banded together to see how they\u2019d fare in Denver against more established rosters. Led by former Froyotech star Jayhyunpae, whom multiple fans described to me as the most mechanically gifted player in the game, the Balls boys were serious contenders.<\/p>\n

WG-AU, however, proved too much to handle, winning the most important TF2 series in their nation\u2019s history and becoming the first Australian team to medal in an international tournament. Though they would place 3rd overall after losing a close contest to sister team Witness Gaming Europe<\/u><\/a> (WG-EU), breaking \u201cthe 4th place curse\u201d that had forever plagued Aussie TF2 was well worth their price of admission.<\/p>\n

\n
\n

Australia break the 4th place curse pic.twitter.com\/UcbAyDhSNQMay 26, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Speaking of WG-EU, their chances didn\u2019t look good going into the grand final. I spoke to dozens of players, fans, and analysts, hearing versions of the same refrain: \u201cG6 is unbeatable.\u201d<\/p>\n

But the Europeans gave as good as they got. On the grand final\u2019s second map, Process, G6 battered WG-EU back to their last point, forcing the underdogs to defend with everything they had. To murmurs from the crowd, the European Medic, Auto, switched his loadout from the meta-defining \u00dcberCharge to the Kritzkrieg, a risky choice that provides massive damage but zero invulnerability.<\/p>\n

One WG-EU Scout, Toemas, scurried into spawn, switching classes and waddling out as the iconic Heavy Weapons Guy. As G6 smashed their way to the point, Auto activated his Kritzkrieg on Toemas, unleashing a barrage of, to quote the hollering audience, \u201claser beams!\u201d<\/p>\n

\n
\n
\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

After this game-saving play, the Europeans managed to eke out a win on Process before taking the next two maps as well, upsetting the undefeated G6 superteam and winning the tournament. In a post-match interview, commentator Tcmano called WG-EU \u201cthe best team in TF2\u201d and somewhat begrudgingly gave European TF2 its flowers. \u201cYou have come to North America, you have championed your region, proving Europe is the best,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019ve been forced to admit it. At least for right now.\u201d<\/p>\n

For right now<\/h2>\n

Compared to modern esports, competitive TF2 is well past its prime. Its glory days dusked a decade ago. But TF2\u2019s seasoned pro players are as devoted as ever, and there\u2019s plenty of young blood flowing through the scene.<\/p>\n

Two of the highest-level Demomen of all time exemplify this dynamic: Froyo\u2019s Habib and G6\u2019s Logan. \u201cHe\u2019s better than me now. I\u2019m not 20 anymore,\u201d came a humble admission from Habib. Logan, almost bashful, responded, \u201cHabib taught me everything.\u201d<\/p>\n

The community may be tight-knit, but does that leave room to grow? Balls leader Jayhyunpae believes that, barring a miracle intervention from Valve, an evolution to the meta may be necessary. \u201cBeing a long-time player, I want to see changes to competitive,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019d like new maps, new strategies, different classes. Anything, really.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n
\n
\n

\"Witness<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>

Witness Gaming-AU celebrates after defeating Froyotech. <\/span>(Image credit: Abby \u201cDubThink\u201d Welsh)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Even b4nny, TF2\u2019s most infamous Sixes stickler, sees a need to adapt. \u201cPart of me does understand where Valve is coming from with their [no restrictions] competitive format,\u201d he shared. \u201cWe could relax unnecessary weapon bans. Competitive has this label of being very elitist, kind of looking down upon casuals, and I think that we would need to really rebrand a little bit.\u201d<\/p>\n

Many fans and players I talked to felt comfortable labeling Fireside Denver as a \u201cgrand finale\u201d for the competitive scene, due to the sheer cost and effort required to host a big, grassroots tournament. But in b4nny\u2019s opinion, there\u2019s as much time left for TF2 as players keep putting into it.<\/p>\n

\u201cI heard people say \u2018This is the final LAN\u2019 in 2019,\u201d the Froyotech captain said, shaking his head. \u201cIf we stay optimistic and focus on doing the things that we can do as a community\u2013putting on events, making content, engaging the playerbase ourselves. I think the game never has to go away.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/article>\n

Source<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Team Fortress 2 resides in the long shadows cast by Valve’s pair of popular titans, Dota 2 and Counter-Strike 2. But the class-based FPS has managed to endure despite its little-brother status, perpetuated by a passionate community that includes a competitive scene that’s still producing fireworks. During May\u2019s Physgun Fireside Denver LAN, one fan I spoke to called the tricontinental tournament \u201cthe toughest competition in TF2 history.\u201d The game is nearing 18 years of age, and the caliber of competition has only increased during that time. I\u2019ve spent 2,900 hours in-game and frankly, the worst player on the worst team at Fireside Denver could run circles around me before taunting over my ragdolled corpse\u2060\u2014it’d be like a Little Leaguer stepping up to the plate against…<\/p>\n

Read More…<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1217183,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[336],"tags":[748],"class_list":["post-1217182","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-pc-gamer","tag-games"],"yoast_head":"\nAfter almost 18 years, Team Fortress 2 just had its toughest tournament ever, and there could be more to come | Arcader News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Team Fortress 2 resides in the long shadows cast by Valve's pair of popular titans, Dota 2 and Counter-Strike 2. But the class-based FPS has managed to\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/arcader.org\/news\/after-almost-18-years-team-fortress-2-just-had-its-toughest-tournament-ever-and-there-could-be-more-to-come\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"After almost 18 years, Team Fortress 2 just had its toughest tournament ever, and there could be more to come | Arcader News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Team Fortress 2 resides in the long shadows cast by Valve's pair of popular titans, Dota 2 and Counter-Strike 2. But the class-based FPS has managed to\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/arcader.org\/news\/after-almost-18-years-team-fortress-2-just-had-its-toughest-tournament-ever-and-there-could-be-more-to-come\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Arcade News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-02-22T15:34:51+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/arcader.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/after-almost-18-years-team-fortress-2-just-had-its-toughest-tournament-ever-and-there-could-be-more-to-come.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"480\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"269\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Arcade News\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Arcade News\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"7 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/arcader.org\\\/news\\\/after-almost-18-years-team-fortress-2-just-had-its-toughest-tournament-ever-and-there-could-be-more-to-come\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/arcader.org\\\/news\\\/after-almost-18-years-team-fortress-2-just-had-its-toughest-tournament-ever-and-there-could-be-more-to-come\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Arcade News\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/arcader.org\\\/news\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/8460f5e5076b52fb2369f2f7ce6f2839\"},\"headline\":\"After almost 18 years, Team Fortress 2 just had its toughest tournament ever, and there could be more to come\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-02-22T15:34:51+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/arcader.org\\\/news\\\/after-almost-18-years-team-fortress-2-just-had-its-toughest-tournament-ever-and-there-could-be-more-to-come\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":1469,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/arcader.org\\\/news\\\/after-almost-18-years-team-fortress-2-just-had-its-toughest-tournament-ever-and-there-could-be-more-to-come\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/arcader.org\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/06\\\/after-almost-18-years-team-fortress-2-just-had-its-toughest-tournament-ever-and-there-could-be-more-to-come.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"games\"],\"articleSection\":[\"PC Gamer\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/arcader.org\\\/news\\\/after-almost-18-years-team-fortress-2-just-had-its-toughest-tournament-ever-and-there-could-be-more-to-come\\\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/arcader.org\\\/news\\\/after-almost-18-years-team-fortress-2-just-had-its-toughest-tournament-ever-and-there-could-be-more-to-come\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/arcader.org\\\/news\\\/after-almost-18-years-team-fortress-2-just-had-its-toughest-tournament-ever-and-there-could-be-more-to-come\\\/\",\"name\":\"After almost 18 years, Team Fortress 2 just had its toughest tournament ever, and there could be more to come | Arcader News\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/arcader.org\\\/news\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/arcader.org\\\/news\\\/after-almost-18-years-team-fortress-2-just-had-its-toughest-tournament-ever-and-there-could-be-more-to-come\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/arcader.org\\\/news\\\/after-almost-18-years-team-fortress-2-just-had-its-toughest-tournament-ever-and-there-could-be-more-to-come\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/arcader.org\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/06\\\/after-almost-18-years-team-fortress-2-just-had-its-toughest-tournament-ever-and-there-could-be-more-to-come.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-02-22T15:34:51+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/arcader.org\\\/news\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/8460f5e5076b52fb2369f2f7ce6f2839\"},\"description\":\"Team Fortress 2 resides in the long shadows cast by Valve's pair of popular titans, Dota 2 and Counter-Strike 2. But the class-based FPS has managed to\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/arcader.org\\\/news\\\/after-almost-18-years-team-fortress-2-just-had-its-toughest-tournament-ever-and-there-could-be-more-to-come\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/arcader.org\\\/news\\\/after-almost-18-years-team-fortress-2-just-had-its-toughest-tournament-ever-and-there-could-be-more-to-come\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/arcader.org\\\/news\\\/after-almost-18-years-team-fortress-2-just-had-its-toughest-tournament-ever-and-there-could-be-more-to-come\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/arcader.org\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/06\\\/after-almost-18-years-team-fortress-2-just-had-its-toughest-tournament-ever-and-there-could-be-more-to-come.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/arcader.org\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/06\\\/after-almost-18-years-team-fortress-2-just-had-its-toughest-tournament-ever-and-there-could-be-more-to-come.jpg\",\"width\":480,\"height\":269,\"caption\":\"After almost 18 years, Team Fortress 2 just had its toughest tournament ever, and there could be more to come\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/arcader.org\\\/news\\\/after-almost-18-years-team-fortress-2-just-had-its-toughest-tournament-ever-and-there-could-be-more-to-come\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/arcader.org\\\/news\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"After almost 18 years, Team Fortress 2 just had its toughest tournament ever, and there could be more to come\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/arcader.org\\\/news\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/arcader.org\\\/news\\\/\",\"name\":\"Arcade News\",\"description\":\"Free Arcade News from the Best Online Sources\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/arcader.org\\\/news\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/arcader.org\\\/news\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/8460f5e5076b52fb2369f2f7ce6f2839\",\"name\":\"Arcade News\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/3fea48a614d86edd987bc7bb25f4707c69546d4b1f78ad4aa20b26316bad1f9d?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/3fea48a614d86edd987bc7bb25f4707c69546d4b1f78ad4aa20b26316bad1f9d?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/3fea48a614d86edd987bc7bb25f4707c69546d4b1f78ad4aa20b26316bad1f9d?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Arcade News\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/cricketgames.tv\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/arcader.org\\\/news\\\/author\\\/arcade-news\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"After almost 18 years, Team Fortress 2 just had its toughest tournament ever, and there could be more to come | Arcader News","description":"Team Fortress 2 resides in the long shadows cast by Valve's pair of popular titans, Dota 2 and Counter-Strike 2. But the class-based FPS has managed to","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/arcader.org\/news\/after-almost-18-years-team-fortress-2-just-had-its-toughest-tournament-ever-and-there-could-be-more-to-come\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"After almost 18 years, Team Fortress 2 just had its toughest tournament ever, and there could be more to come | Arcader News","og_description":"Team Fortress 2 resides in the long shadows cast by Valve's pair of popular titans, Dota 2 and Counter-Strike 2. But the class-based FPS has managed to","og_url":"https:\/\/arcader.org\/news\/after-almost-18-years-team-fortress-2-just-had-its-toughest-tournament-ever-and-there-could-be-more-to-come\/","og_site_name":"Arcade News","article_published_time":"2026-02-22T15:34:51+00:00","og_image":[{"width":480,"height":269,"url":"https:\/\/arcader.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/after-almost-18-years-team-fortress-2-just-had-its-toughest-tournament-ever-and-there-could-be-more-to-come.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Arcade News","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Arcade News","Est. reading time":"7 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/arcader.org\/news\/after-almost-18-years-team-fortress-2-just-had-its-toughest-tournament-ever-and-there-could-be-more-to-come\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/arcader.org\/news\/after-almost-18-years-team-fortress-2-just-had-its-toughest-tournament-ever-and-there-could-be-more-to-come\/"},"author":{"name":"Arcade News","@id":"https:\/\/arcader.org\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/8460f5e5076b52fb2369f2f7ce6f2839"},"headline":"After almost 18 years, Team Fortress 2 just had its toughest tournament ever, and there could be more to come","datePublished":"2026-02-22T15:34:51+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/arcader.org\/news\/after-almost-18-years-team-fortress-2-just-had-its-toughest-tournament-ever-and-there-could-be-more-to-come\/"},"wordCount":1469,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/arcader.org\/news\/after-almost-18-years-team-fortress-2-just-had-its-toughest-tournament-ever-and-there-could-be-more-to-come\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/arcader.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/after-almost-18-years-team-fortress-2-just-had-its-toughest-tournament-ever-and-there-could-be-more-to-come.jpg","keywords":["games"],"articleSection":["PC Gamer"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/arcader.org\/news\/after-almost-18-years-team-fortress-2-just-had-its-toughest-tournament-ever-and-there-could-be-more-to-come\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/arcader.org\/news\/after-almost-18-years-team-fortress-2-just-had-its-toughest-tournament-ever-and-there-could-be-more-to-come\/","url":"https:\/\/arcader.org\/news\/after-almost-18-years-team-fortress-2-just-had-its-toughest-tournament-ever-and-there-could-be-more-to-come\/","name":"After almost 18 years, Team Fortress 2 just had its toughest tournament ever, and there could be more to come | Arcader News","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/arcader.org\/news\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/arcader.org\/news\/after-almost-18-years-team-fortress-2-just-had-its-toughest-tournament-ever-and-there-could-be-more-to-come\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/arcader.org\/news\/after-almost-18-years-team-fortress-2-just-had-its-toughest-tournament-ever-and-there-could-be-more-to-come\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/arcader.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/after-almost-18-years-team-fortress-2-just-had-its-toughest-tournament-ever-and-there-could-be-more-to-come.jpg","datePublished":"2026-02-22T15:34:51+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/arcader.org\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/8460f5e5076b52fb2369f2f7ce6f2839"},"description":"Team Fortress 2 resides in the long shadows cast by Valve's pair of popular titans, Dota 2 and Counter-Strike 2. But the class-based FPS has managed to","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/arcader.org\/news\/after-almost-18-years-team-fortress-2-just-had-its-toughest-tournament-ever-and-there-could-be-more-to-come\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/arcader.org\/news\/after-almost-18-years-team-fortress-2-just-had-its-toughest-tournament-ever-and-there-could-be-more-to-come\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/arcader.org\/news\/after-almost-18-years-team-fortress-2-just-had-its-toughest-tournament-ever-and-there-could-be-more-to-come\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/arcader.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/after-almost-18-years-team-fortress-2-just-had-its-toughest-tournament-ever-and-there-could-be-more-to-come.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/arcader.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/after-almost-18-years-team-fortress-2-just-had-its-toughest-tournament-ever-and-there-could-be-more-to-come.jpg","width":480,"height":269,"caption":"After almost 18 years, Team Fortress 2 just had its toughest tournament ever, and there could be more to come"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/arcader.org\/news\/after-almost-18-years-team-fortress-2-just-had-its-toughest-tournament-ever-and-there-could-be-more-to-come\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/arcader.org\/news\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"After almost 18 years, Team Fortress 2 just had its toughest tournament ever, and there could be more to come"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/arcader.org\/news\/#website","url":"https:\/\/arcader.org\/news\/","name":"Arcade News","description":"Free Arcade News from the Best Online Sources","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/arcader.org\/news\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/arcader.org\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/8460f5e5076b52fb2369f2f7ce6f2839","name":"Arcade News","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/3fea48a614d86edd987bc7bb25f4707c69546d4b1f78ad4aa20b26316bad1f9d?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/3fea48a614d86edd987bc7bb25f4707c69546d4b1f78ad4aa20b26316bad1f9d?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/3fea48a614d86edd987bc7bb25f4707c69546d4b1f78ad4aa20b26316bad1f9d?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Arcade News"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/cricketgames.tv"],"url":"https:\/\/arcader.org\/news\/author\/arcade-news\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/arcader.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1217182","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/arcader.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/arcader.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/arcader.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/arcader.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1217182"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/arcader.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1217182\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1506443,"href":"https:\/\/arcader.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1217182\/revisions\/1506443"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/arcader.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1217183"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/arcader.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1217182"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/arcader.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1217182"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/arcader.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1217182"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}