PGL Masters Bucharest 2026: Teams, schedule and prize pool

PGL Masters Bucharest 2026 will take place at PGL Studios in Bucharest, Romania, from Oct. 24-31. The 16-team Counter-Strike 2 tournament will award $625,000 in prize money and $625,000 in club rewards for participating organizations.

The event was originally scheduled for Belgrade, Serbia, before being relocated in December 2025. It will begin with a 16-team Swiss stage from Oct. 24-28. All Swiss-stage matches will be best-of-three series. Teams will advance after three wins and be eliminated after three losses, with eight teams reaching the playoffs.

The playoffs will run from Oct. 29-31 in a single-elimination bracket. The quarterfinals, semifinals and third-place match will be best-of-three series. The grand final on Oct. 31 will be a best-of-five.

Team Spirit, Team Vitality, MOUZ, FURIA, G2 Esports, Aurora Gaming, Natus Vincere, Legacy, FUT Esports, BetBoom Team, 9z Team and The MongolZ received invitations through the global Valve Regional Standings, or VRS.

Nemiga Gaming, Team Liquid, DENDELE and TYLOO completed the field after winning regional qualifiers in Europe, North America, South America and Asia, respectively.

The winner will receive $225,000 in prize money. Its organization will receive a further $225,000 in club rewards, creating a combined first-place payout of $450,000.

PGL Masters Bucharest is a VRS-ranked event, but it does not award direct qualification places for PGL Major Singapore 2026. The tournament will end two days before the Nov. 2 ranking cutoff, and its results can affect which teams receive Major invitations.

Vitality will compete without in-game leader Dan “apEX” Madesclaire, who will miss the tournament following the birth of his child. Justinas “jL” Lekavicius will stand in for him.

Aurora Gaming returns as the defending champion. It defeated Legacy 3-2 in the 2025 final on Nov. 1, with Aurora winning the deciding map, Nuke, 13-11. Aurora’s 2026 roster includes Finnish player Jimi “Jimpphat” Salo and Ukrainian in-game leader kyxsan alongside its Turkish players.

PGL will broadcast the tournament online through its official channels on Twitch, YouTube, Kick and Facebook. A second stream will be available on Twitch and YouTube.

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