By Sagar Mankar 
PGL has revealed the schedule for its upcoming CS2 tournaments in 2025 and 2026, which will take Counter-Strike to various global locations with 11 Tier 1 events.
This move follows Valve’s recent revisions to the CS2 licensing rules, set to take effect in 2025. These changes dismantle exclusive partnerships between teams and organizers, promoting a more open ecosystem.
According to one of the new rules, organizers are required to declare their complete schedule well in advance. The deadline for the 2025 events is September 1st, 2024, and for the 2026 events, it is January 1st, 2025.
Other organizers such as ESL, BLAST, and the returning StarLadder have already made their schedules public, with PGL now entering the competition.
PGL CS2 Schedule aligns with Valve’s New CS2 Rulebook:
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, PGL is 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
For these tournaments, PGL will not hold Open Qualifiers because of its packed schedule. Instead, the team selection will be based on the Global Valve Rankings, as per the Valve’s Rulebook.
Moreover, Each event will have the same prize pool which is $1,250,000, with the winner taking $425,000. Here’s how 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
The tournament format will remain largely unchanged, featuring a Swiss System Group Stage followed by Single-elimination Playoffs. However, it will be the same for each tournament.
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
- The Grand Final is a best-of-five
Although the new Valve rules have set a fixed schedule in the CS2 ecosystem, PGL remains optimistic about organizing more tournaments if new opportunities arise in the future.
For more information visit official PGL esports news. And Subscribe to Gaming Foodle for more esports and gaming news.
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