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It’s the end of the year, the days are cold and short, but that won’t stop us from announcing our next 6v6 season! We welcome you to ETF2L 6v6 Season 51 (Winter 2026). Signups are now OPEN! Make sure to check out the rest of this post for all information about the upcoming season.

Schedule

• Signups: NOW! – January 8th 2026 18:00 CET (including Prem & Div 1, late joining is possible until the end of the first week of the Group Stages)
• Provisional Tiers: January 9th 2026
• Group Stages (Premiership & Division 1): January 12th – February 15th 2026 (5 Weeks)
• Group Stages (all remaining divisions): January 12th – March 8th 2026 (7 Weeks)
  • There will be a one week break for poLANd.tf 2026.
• Playoffs (Premiership & Division 1): February 21st – February 22nd 2026 (Weekend Playoffs)
• Playoffs (all remaining divisions): March 7th – March 29th 2026

Configs, Map Pool, Map Rotations

Premiership & Division 1

The results from our polls (Premiership responses):

Click on the picture above to see a larger, more readable version.

Other map replacements that were mentioned a lot that we would like to highlight were: Snakewater, Reckoner, Logjam.

We further polled Premiership players if they would prefer a 7 maps map pool or a 9 maps map pool for Season 51; which ended in a majority for 7 maps (24 votes vs. 4 votes).

For Premiership and Division 1, we will be mirroring the poLANd.tf 2026 map pool:

• cp_sunshine
• cp_process_f12
• cp_gullywash_f9
• cp_metalworks_f7
• cp_granary_pro_rc17a3
• koth_bagel_rc11
• koth_product_final

Map Pick/Ban Rotation (Premiership & Division 1)

Depending on signups we will either run a 5 week regular season or a condensed season with 7 rounds in order to have playoffs finish before LAN.

Option A: Standard 5 Weeks

• Week 1: cp_sunshine, cp_process_f12, cp_gullywash_f9, cp_granary_pro_rc17a3, koth_product_final
• Week 2: cp_metalworks_f7, cp_sunshine, cp_process_f12, cp_granary_pro_rc17a3, koth_bagel_rc11
• Week 3: cp_gullywash_f9, cp_metalworks_f7, cp_sunshine, koth_product_final, koth_bagel_rc11
• Week 4: cp_process_f12, cp_granary_pro_rc17a3, cp_gullywash_f9, cp_metalworks_f7, koth_product_final
• Week 5: cp_sunshine, cp_process_f12, cp_gullywash_f9, cp_granary_pro_rc17a3, koth_bagel_rc11

Option B: Condensed 7 Rounds

• Round 1: cp_sunshine, cp_process_f12, cp_gullywash_f9, cp_granary_pro_rc17a3, koth_product_final
• Round 2: cp_metalworks_f7, cp_sunshine, cp_process_f12, cp_gullywash_f9, koth_bagel_rc11
• Round 3: cp_granary_pro_rc17a3, cp_sunshine, cp_metalworks_f7, koth_bagel_rc11, koth_product_final,
• Round 4: cp_process_f12, cp_gullywash_f9, cp_granary_pro_rc17a3, cp_metalworks_f7, koth_product_final
• Round 5: cp_sunshine, cp_process_f12, cp_gullywash_f9, cp_granary_pro_rc17a3, koth_bagel_rc11
• Round 6: cp_metalworks_f7, cp_sunshine, cp_process_f12, koth_bagel_rc11, koth_product_final
• Round 7: cp_gullywash_f9, cp_granary_pro_rc17a3, cp_metalworks_f7, koth_bagel_rc11, koth_product_final

Config (Premiership & Division 1)

After polling players, we will be introducing the progressive ruleset timer for the Season 51 Premiership and Division 1 playoffs.

The Progressive Ruleset incorporates this plugin that creates a dynamic win condition. The 5CP round win limit gets reduced to the current highest score +1 when the match timer runs out. For example, if the score is 1-2 when the map timer runs out, the win limit will be set to 3 and round continues.

Premiership (Note: “Yes” was split into “Yes, regular season & playoffs” and “Yes, only during playoffs” shortly after the form was published):

High and below:

While we see a lot of interest for this config in the lower divisions as well, we will be testing the ruleset in the playoffs of the top two divisions first to gather player feedback.

The specifics of the ruleset for the Premiership and Division 1 playoffs will look like this:

• The map timer for 5CP maps will be 25 minutes.
• The round timer for 5CP maps will be 4 minutes.
• If a team scores a total of 5 rounds before the end of the map timer, they win the map (winlimit 5).
• If neither team has scored a total of 5 rounds once the map timer runs out, the round winlimit is set to the current highest round score +1. The match continues until one team reaches the new round winlimit.

We will be updating our server configs soon to account for this change.

During the regular season, the standard 5CP 6v6 config (30 minute map timer, 5 minute round timer, as well as a winlimit of 5) and Golden Cap rules will be used. KOTH remains as a Bo5 throughout the season.

Division 2, Mid, Low

First, the results from our feedback polls (High and below):

Click on the picture above to see a larger, more readable version.

Other map replacements that were mentioned a lot that we would like to highlight were: Granary Pro, Product, Reckoner.

We quickly realised that the answer options were not very suitable for the more experimental maps (Prolands, Clearcut). We were also given feedback that due to the current pick/ban system, testing new maps is not ideal as teams can just ban the new map(s) without ever having to play it. This is an area that we definitely need to look further into in the future, to find a system that allows for testing new maps that also attracts more teams than the preseason map cups we used to run.

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That being said, we will be adding cp_subbase_b3a (TFTV post) as our experimental map this season. The maps that have been confirmed for Season 51 are as follows:

• cp_sunshine
• cp_process_f12
• cp_gullywash_f9
• cp_metalworks_f7
• cp_snakewater_final1
• cp_subbase_b3a
• koth_bagel_rc11

Which leaves us with two other map options:

TFTV Threads: koth_clearcut | koth_govan | cp_granary_pro | koth_product | cp_prolands | cp_reckoner | cp_sultry

The polls are open until the 18th of December 18:00 CET.

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Map Pick/Ban Rotation (Division 2, Mid, Low)

• Week 1: cp_sunshine, cp_process_f12, cp_gullywash_f9, cp_snakewater_final1, KOTH Poll Map
• Week 2: cp_process_f12, cp_metalworks_f7, cp_sunshine, 5CP Poll Map, koth_bagel_rc11
• Week 3: cp_snakewater_final1, cp_gullywash_f9, cp_subbase_b3a, cp_sunshine, cp_process_f12
• Week 4: cp_metalworks_f7, cp_subbase_b3a, 5CP Poll Map, koth_bagel_rc11, KOTH Poll Map
• Week 5: cp_gullywash_f9, cp_subbase_b3a, cp_metalworks_f7, cp_snakewater_final1, 5CP Poll Map
• Week 6: cp_subbase_b3a, cp_process_f12, cp_metalworks_f7, koth_bagel_rc11, KOTH Poll Map
• LAN Break: 23rd February – 1st March
• Week 7: cp_sunshine, cp_snakewater_final1, cp_gullywash_f9, 5CP Poll Map, KOTH Poll Map

Map Pick/Ban Order during the Regular Season (Premiership, Division 1, Division 2, Mid, Low)

A Heavy fist fight can be used to decide teams if necessary.

Team A bans a map
Team B bans a map
Team B picks a map
Team A picks a map
The remaining map is not played.

Open & Fresh

• cp_sunshine
• cp_process_f12
• cp_gullywash_f9
• cp_metalworks_f7
• cp_snakewater_final1
• koth_bagel_rc11
• koth_product_final

Open & Fresh Map Rotation

• Week 1: cp_sunshine & cp_gullywash_f9
• Week 2: cp_gullywash_f9 & koth_bagel_rc11
• Week 3: koth_bagel_rc11 & cp_metalworks_f7
• Week 4: cp_metalworks_f7 & cp_process_f12
• Week 5: cp_process_f12 & koth_product_final
• Week 6: koth_product_final & cp_snakewater_final1
• LAN Break: 23rd February – 1st March
• Week 7: cp_snakewater_final1 & cp_sunshine

Open

We have decided to reintroduce a fixed map rotation for the Open division in response to community feedback. The random nature of pick/bans has made it more challenging for teams to schedule scrims and practice maps consistently. We feel that this is especially an issue for the lowest divisions which are meant for players new to competitive TF2. By returning to a fixed rotation, we aim to provide teams and players with a more reliable way to familiarise themselves with the map pool. The playoffs will continue to use the current pick/ban system.

Fresh Division

We will determine if this division will be used based off of signups. After gathering feedback from Fresh players, we will be more strict on which players are eligible to participate in this division. Players who meet any of the criteria below are not eligible to play in the Fresh division:

• played more than 10 matches in ETF2L Open
• played in ETF2L Open playoffs or above (this does not include cups)
• participated in the playoffs of a previous Fresh season or Fresh Meat Challenge
• played more than 10 matches in RGL Amateur
• participated in RGL Newcomer playoffs

Highlander experience will be considered. Any previous experience from leagues not listed above will be judged on a case by case basis.

We are looking into adding a “Fresh” option for our recruitment section on the website sometime soon. We will also be creating a Discord channel exclusively for Fresh players to help with any questions they might have about playing ETF2L officials, rules, configs etc. as we understand this can be hard to navigate for new players.

Setup

Roster Lock

We will be maintaining a roster lock starting on the 8th of January (after sign-ups close), after which players can only join through admin requests instead. This will be possible up until the start of the last week of the regular season after which no new players will be able to join teams.

For all divisions players cannot be more experienced (in accordance with rule 2.7) than the tier of the team they want to join. Experience in other leagues is also included.

Between the signup deadline and the season start we might be more lenient when it comes to players, however adding higher skilled players will affect your team’s seeding.

Class Restrictions

Outside of offclassing (see below) we will not be applying any class restrictions at the start of the season UNLESS if a team signing up explicitly asks for it. This means that teams might have large skill gaps between its players, but we are trying to put a bit more emphasis on allowing people to play with their friends on the class they enjoy playing the most.

Offclasses

The results from our poll (“Should Highlander classes other than Sniper be restricted in lower 6v6 divisions? If so, which ones?”):

We will be applying restrictions on the following offclasses:

• Sniper
  • Players who have played this class in Highlander High and above will be restricted from the class in Mid and below.
  • Players who have played this class in Highlander Mid and above will be restricted from the class in Open.
• Pyro, Heavy
  • Players who have played these classes in Highlander High and above will be restricted from the class in Low and below.

Proposed restrictions will be announced during the provisional tiers.

Playoffs

Playoff information will follow at a later date. For Premiership and Division 1 teams, please be aware that we have scheduled a playoff weekend for February 21st – February 22nd 2026.

Sign-up Process

First and foremost you must sign your team up here: 

Then, if you are applying for Division 6/Open/Fresh (which are our entry divisions), you do not have to provide any proof that you are capable of playing at that level.

Otherwise, we encourage you to send in an application through the ticket system in our Discord or by directly contacting a league admin, with the following information:

– Team name, Division you apply for and ETF2L team link
– Roster
– Recent results and logs associated to them
– Reasons why your team deserves to be placed in the tier you applied for (optional)

e.g.
– Team BIG EXPLOSION, Premiership, https://etf2l.org/teams/1/
announce the roster with the classes
– 5-2 vs Team Aoshi’s All Stars (Prem) : https://logs.tf/012345

Teams that do not contact the admins risk losing their spot in the division they are asking for. If your team is signing up for the High division, we strongly recommend that you tell us if you are looking to play in Division 1 or Division 2; the same goes for Mid teams that have a preference for Division 3 or Division 4.

Please note that the success of your request also strongly depends on the free slots in the tier you aim for. Established teams will be favoured over new teams or teams that request to jump a tier.

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