PGL and StarLadder announce 11 CS2 events for 2026

PGL and StarLadder announced a combined slate of 11 top-tier Counter-Strike 2 events across 2026. PGL’s calendar includes five headline tournaments: Cluj-Napoca (Feb. 9–22, $625,000), Bucharest (Apr. 4–11, $1.25 million), Astana (May 7–17, $800,000), Masters Bucharest (Oct. 24–31, $625,000) and the Singapore Major (Nov. 25–Dec. 13, $1.25 million).

StarLadder has confirmed StarSeries Fall (Sept. 17–20), an eight-team event with a $250,000 prize pool. Planning documents indicate additional StarSeries seasons are expected in late May to early June and again in mid-to-late September.

Organizers framed the expanded schedule as a response to changes in Valve’s licensing that removed partner-team protections and opened top-tier dates to more bids. PGL described its plan as a return to year-round tier-one operations with more standalone tournaments that carry ranking relevance. StarLadder presented StarSeries as a restored brand with regional qualifiers and routes back into top-tier competition.

Several dates sit close to or overlap rival events. PGL’s Astana dates in May coincide with other major fixtures and qualifier activity in the same window. Full rulebooks have not been published for every event; qualification procedures, many venue details and some commercial arrangements remain unspecified.

Full invites and qualifying windows must still be confirmed. Attendance by top teams, broadcast viewership and sponsorship sales will affect which events draw the strongest fields and audiences. Organizers are expected to publish complete operational and qualification details ahead of each tournament.

Key near-term checkpoints are publication of final rulebooks, confirmation of invite lists and the handling of the May and September clusters, where calendar congestion is most pronounced.