PGL has unveiled its 2025 and 2026 slate of CS2 tournaments, giving players a glimpse into what they can expect from its offerings into the scene over the next couple of years. With CS2 moving to a more open scene from next year, other tournament organizers, including StarLadder, have confirmed their intentions to return to Counter-Strike, breaking the ESL and BLAST stranglehold.
PGL CS2 Schedule for 2025 and 2026
Credit: PGL
PGL’s new CS2 tournament schedule for 2025 and 2026 will take Counter-Strike to various locations worldwide, several of which are new to the Tier 1 scene.
2025
PGL on FiRe Buenos Aires 2025: February 13th – 23rd – Teatro Gran Rex
PGL Bucharest 2025: April 3rd – 13th – PGL Studios
PGL Astana 2025: May 8th – 18th – Barys Arena
PGL Belgrade 2025: October 23rd – November 2nd – Belgrade Arena
PW CAC 2025: October 1st – 23rd – Location TBD (Organized by Perfect World, PGL is the media partner outside of China)
2026
PGL on FiRe Buenos Aires 2026 – February 12th – 22nd – Estadio Mary Terán de Weiss
PGL Bucharest 2026 – April 2nd – 12th – PGL Studios
PGL Astana 2026: May 7th – 17th – Barys Arena
PGL Belgrade 2026: August 6th – 16th – Belgrade Arena
PGL on FiRe São Paulo: October 1st – 11th – Location TBD
PGL Barcelona 2026: October 22nd – November 1st – Location TBD
Belgrade is already used for BetBoom Dacha events, while São Paulo should provide a unique change from the IEM Rio Brazilian tournaments we’ve seen over the last few years. Meanwhile, locations such as Astana and Bucharest offer something totally new, freshening up the CS2 scene.
According to PGL, these events won’t have Open Qualifiers due to the busy schedule over the next few years. Instead, the Global Valve Rankings will be used, as per the rulebook from 2025. Every event will share the same prize pool, which is as follows:
1st place: $425,000
2nd place: $150,000
3rd-4th place: $125,000
5th-8th place: $62,500
9th-11th place: $31,250
12th-14th place: $18,750
15th-16th place: $12,500
This brings it to a total prize pool of $1,250,000 for every event, instantly making PGL events a premium offering for the top CS2 teams. The TO was even able to detail the tournament formats:
Group Stage
16-team Swiss System Format
All matches are best-of-three
Top eight teams secure Playoffs
Playoffs
Single-elimination Playoffs
Quarter-Finals and Semi-Finals are best-of-three
Grand Final is best-of five
PGL claims that while these are the CS2 tournaments currently planned for 2025 and 2026, it can organize more events “should new opportunities arise.”