PGL Joins Competitive Counter-Strike Circuit with Packed 2025-2026 Schedule

Following the success of the PGL Major Copenhagen 2024, PGL has revealed plans to become a permanent fixture in the competitive Counter-Strike scene. The organizer announced that it will host 11 tier-one tournaments throughout 2025 and 2026, in addition to any Majors it may be selected to run. This move will bring PGL into direct competition with existing events from ESL and BLAST, with some tournaments overlapping.

Is PGL Carving Out Space in the Scene?

After Valve’s decision to remove Partner teams from the competitive circuit, PGL sees this as the perfect moment to expand its involvement in Counter-Strike. In recent years, PGL has mainly focused on hosting Majors, but that is about to change.

With 11 tournaments scheduled, the Counter-Strike calendar is now even more packed. The overlap between some PGL events and those from BLAST and ESL may force teams to decide which events to prioritize. PGL’s planned schedule is as follows:

2025:

- Event 1: February 10th – 24th

- Event 2: March 31st – April 14th

- Event 3: May 3rd – 19th

- Event 4: September 29th – October 13th

- Event 5: October 18th – November 3rd

2026:

- Event 6: February 16th – March 2nd

- Event 7: March 23rd – April 6th

- Event 8: May 2nd – 18th

- Event 9: August 3rd – 17th

- Event 10: September 28th – October 12th

- Event 11: October 19th – November 2nd

This schedule features five tournaments in 2025 and expands to six events in 2026. Although the calendar is getting busier, increased competition fosters innovation and growth, benefiting the entire scene. PGL seems to share this perspective:

“For the first time since 2016, PGL will organize Tier 1, non-major CS2 tournaments, marking the end of an era where a small number of esports organizers monopolized the Counter-Strike landscape.”

PGL has yet to provide additional information beyond the dates but promises to release more details about these Counter-Strike 2 events in the near future.