PGL Relocates CS2 Tournament to Bucharest for 2026

Romanian esports organizer PGL announced on December 22, 2025, that its planned Counter-Strike 2 tournament in Belgrade, Serbia, has been relocated to its studios in Bucharest, Romania, and renamed PGL Masters Bucharest 2026. The Tier 1 event, originally set for late October to early November, will now take place from October 24 to 31, shortening the schedule by two days to accommodate teams traveling to the subsequent IEM China 2026.

The tournament will feature 16 elite teams competing for a $1.25 million prize pool. Twelve teams will receive direct invitations based on the Valve Regional Standings as of July 2026, with four spots allocated to Europe, four to the Americas, and four divided between Asian subregions, two each. Seeding for the event will be determined by the October 2026 standings. The remaining four spots will be filled through regional qualifiers, including open qualifiers from September 3 to 6 and closed qualifiers from September 9 to 13, covering Europe, the Americas, and Asia.

Competition will follow a familiar structure: a Swiss-system group stage with best-of-three matches, advancing to a single-elimination playoff bracket of best-of-three series, and a...