Counter-Strike 2 tournament host YaLLa Compass has seemingly closed down after months of controversial payment issues.
On August 6, 2025, YaLLA Compass announced its closure through its he was not paid. The shuttering comes after months of delayed payment accusations from players and staff. The tournament series also lost its official status with Valve, which led to multiple teams pulling out of YaLLa Compass Winter 2025 in January. These two factors have led to general apathy about the closure within the community, with multiple players and personalities only lamenting that they will not be paid.
Pro players accuse YaLLA Compass of dodging payments
YaLLa’s troubles allegedly began in November 2024 after YaLLa Compass Fall 2024. Teodor “SPELLAN” Nikolov, in-game leader for 500, claims he is he was not paid from his team’s second-place finish at the event. The squad was promised a $3,500 prize for reaching the grand final. Alexandru “s0und” Ștefan echoed his sentiment. The rifler earned $6,500 from multiple YaLLa tournament since 2024, but says he was not paid all the money he was owed.
Tournament staff have also commented on the closure. Observer Janka “JanicKa” Vorčáková and commentator Jamie “TheEternalJay” Martin both indicated that they haven’t been fully paid for their services.
Image Credit: YaLLa Compass
In addition to its payment controversies, YaLLa Compass was also dealing with losing its Valve Regional Standings status. In January 2025, CS2 team Monte announced it would withdraw from YaLLa Compass Winter Contenders due to the event losing its VRS qualification. The VRS system is very important for rising teams, as it is the only way to secure an invite to a Major. While YaLLa regained its VRS status for YaLLa Compass Spring 2025, it was too close to the Major to make a real difference for teams.
Between it’s payment troubles and streaky VRS status, YaLLa Compass’ closure is a major concern for its former staff and players, but not so much for CS2 fans.