PGL has recently announced its lineup of CS2 tournaments for the years 2025 and 2026, offering players an exciting glimpse into what they can expect from the esports scene in the upcoming years. The shift towards a more open scene in CS2 has prompted other organizers like StarLadder to confirm their return to Counter-Strike, breaking the monopoly held by ESL and BLAST.
PGL CS2 Schedule for 2025 and 2026
Image Credit: PGL
The upcoming CS2 tournament schedule by PGL for 2025 and 2026 will see Counter-Strike making its way to several new and diverse locations worldwide, expanding the Tier 1 scene.
2025 Schedule
- 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, with PGL as the media partner outside of China)
2026 Schedule
- 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, a familiar venue for BetBoom Dacha events, and São Paulo, offering a unique change from the standard IEM Rio Brazilian tournaments, are among the upcoming locations. Astana and Bucharest bring a fresh and novel appeal to the CS2 scene.
PGL has revealed that due to a packed schedule over the next few years, these events won’t have Open Qualifiers. Instead, they will rely on the Global Valve Rankings, following the 2025 rulebook. Each event will share the same prize pool distribution:
- 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
With a total prize pool of $1,250,000 for each event, PGL tournaments are set to become the gold standard for top CS2 teams. PGL has also outlined the tournament formats:
Group Stage
- 16-team Swiss System Format
- All matches are best-of-three
- Top eight teams advance to Playoffs
Playoffs
- Single-elimination format
- Quarter-finals and Semi-finals are best-of-three
- Grand Final is best-of-five
PGL has mentioned that while these are the planned CS2 tournaments for 2025 and 2026, they are open to organizing more events if new opportunities present themselves.
