A new player is in town!
PGL has announced plans to host 11 Counter-Strike 2 tournaments over the next few years. The Tier 1 events will take place between 2025-26 and beyond signifying a new competitive player in the CS events space. Here’s all we know from their announcement so far.
On the final day of the PGL Copenhagen Major 2024, the tournament organizer revealed they will have more events in the space.
For the first time since 2016, PGL will be able to organize CS2 Tier 1, non-major tournaments, signaling the end of the era dominated by a few esports organizers who created a monopoly on the Counter-Strike market. This initiative not only introduces a breath of fresh air into the competitive scene but also aligns with PGL's vision of fostering a more inclusive and varied esports ecosystem.
For several years, a few tournament organizers have dominated the Counter-Strike 2 esports landscape. With BLAST and ESL cornering the majority of the esports events in Counter-Strike, it had become very difficult for new orgs to claw their way in.
Thanks to the CS2 licensing rules that enable any tournament organizer to host events and the prohibition of conflicts of interest between event organizers and teams, PGL can pave the way for more diverse and competitive CS2 events.
Last year, Valve announced changes ending team and TO partnerships in August last year. The announcement meant the end of exclusive leagues in the scene, directly impacting BLAST and ESL.
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When are the next PGL Counter-Strike 2 events?
Here are all the PGL Counter-Strike 2 events announced for the next few years.
PGL 2025 Tournament Schedule:
- PGL CS2 Tournament #1: February 10-24
- PGL CS2 Tournament #2: March 31 - April 14
- PGL CS2 Tournament #3: May 3-19
- PGL CS2 Tournament #4: September 29 - October 13
- PGL CS2 Tournament #5: October 18 - November 3
PGL 2026 Tournament Schedule:
- PGL CS2 Tournament #6: February 16 - March 2
- PGL CS2 Tournament #7: March 23 - April 6
- PGL CS2 Tournament #8: May 2-18
- PGL CS2 Tournament #9: August 3-17
- PGL CS2 Tournament #10: September 28 - October 12
- PGL CS2 Tournament #11: October 19 - November 2
In the same announcement, the org also claimed it is the last independent tournament organizer in the scene. This means it does not have any government investment or venture capital.
The PGL Copenhagen Major was the first ever Counter-Strike 2 Major. The tournament took place over several weeks with NAVI cementing themselves as the first-ever CS2 Major winners. The team took down FaZe Clan in the Grand Finals to earn their victory. With this victory, NAVI also secured invitations to the Esports World Cup 2024 and the BLAST World Finals 2024.
Stay tuned to esports.gg for the latest Counter-Strike news and updates
