PGL to host events in Argentina, Kazakhstan, and more in 2025-26 circuit

Buenos Aires, Bucharest, Astana, and Belgrade will host four Valve-ranked PGL events in 2025 with a prize pool of $1,250,000 each.

PGL has announced details for eleven tier-one events around the globe over the next two years, including annual events in Astana, Kazakhstan and Buenos Aires, Argentina.

The circuit will also see the Romanian tournament organizer host events in Bucharest, Belgrade, and — in 2026 — São Paulo and Barcelona.

The capacity for more is also present, with PGL pledging "other surprises" in addition to these 11 initial events.

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See the full calendar for the next twelve months at hltv.org/calendar

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The operator has hosted no standalone events in recent years, with calendar space restricted by the semi-franchised ESL and BLAST circuits, but hosted three Valve Majors (Stockholm, Antwerp, and Copenhagen) and is partnered with Perfect World for the CS Asia Championships and a fourth Major in Shanghai this November.

With Valve removing direct team-to-TO partnerships from 2025 onwards, PGL are re-entering the space aggressively with a minimum of eleven events in the next two years.

Six will be run by PGL on their own, in addition to four events in partnership with FiReSPORTS and a continuation of their Perfect World partnership with CS Asia Championships 2025.

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"PGL is pleased to announce that the CS2 competitive landscape has evolved, embracing a more open and inclusive approach," the TO said in a press release. "This change marks a pivotal moment in esports, democratizing event organization and fostering a more vibrant and diverse competitive scene."

Each 16-team event will have a Major-matching prize pool of $1.25 million, and a budget of $450,000 for hospitality purposes including tickets, accommodation for 8 people, food, and six-person practice rooms for each invited team. They will also function as 'Ranked' events in line with Valve's new rulebook.

Invites for the events will be handed out directly based on the global Valve Regional Standings (VRS), with no open qualifiers because of the "very busy event schedule."

If a roster declines the invite, or cannot secure visas in time, it will be extended to the next roster in the VRS until all slots are filled.

The exception to the global invite system will be the three South American events, where the top two teams from the home region will be invited in addition to 14 intercontinental invites.

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PGL announces 11 tier-one events for 2025-2026*

All events will sport a best-of-three Swiss system group stage and eight-team single elimination playoff brackets with a best-of-five grand final.

PGL has announced venues for their first eight events, with the exception of 2026's São Paulo and Barcelona events.

They include Buenos Aires' 3300-capacity Teatro Gran Rex in 2025, before moving to the larger 15,510-capacity Estadio Mary Terán de Weiss in 2026.

There is also the 11,578-seater Barys Arena in Astana, and the 20,000 Belgrade Arena for the two Serbian events. PGL Bucharest, however, will not feature a crowd and be played in the TO's studios.

The preliminary event schedule is as follows:

2025

PGL on FiRe Buenos Aires - February 13-23
PGL Bucharest - April 3-13
PGL Astana - May 8-18
PGL Belgrade - October 23 - November 2
Perfect World CS Asia Championships - October 1-13

2026

PGL on FiRe Buenos Aires - February 12-22
PGL Bucharest - April 2-12
PGL Astana - May 7-17
PGL Belgrade - August 6-16
PGL on FiRe São Paulo - October 1-11
PGL on FiRe Barcelona 2026 - October 22 - November 1