PGL, the Bucharest-based tournament organiser, has entered into a partnership with data infrastructure provider Runestone for the upcoming PGL Cluj-Napoca 2026. The agreement designates Runestone as the event’s Official Data Partner, tasking the company with delivering real-time match data distribution and competitive integrity monitoring throughout the Counter-Strike 2 (CS2) competition.

Under the terms of the deal, Runestone will deploy its infrastructure to secure the distribution of live match data while simultaneously supplying PGL’s broadcast production with low-latency overlays and analytics tools. The company will also monitor tournament matches for irregular gameplay or betting market patterns, providing PGL with actionable intelligence reports intended to preserve the contest’s legitimacy.

Cluj-Napoca 2026 ranks among the year’s premier Counter-Strike 2 events. Running from February 14-22 at the BT Arena in Romania, the tournament carries a $1,250,000 prize pool and, according to a press release, is expected to draw significant viewership figures following the 2025 edition’s 16 million hours watched.

Global Esports Industry Week (GEIW) will return in 2026 with a bigger and bolder edition, taking place across 18–21 June in Cologne, Germany, alongside IEM Cologne. The schedule and details about ticket sales are available in this link.

Shane Clarke, Managing Director at Runestone, framed the dual mandate as structurally indivisible. “Integrity and engagement are two sides of the same coin,” he said. “At PGL Cluj-Napoca, the stakes are too high for ‘close enough’ data. We are providing the unshakeable foundation that guarantees fairness, which then allows us to build the interactive broadcast experience on top of it. We are lighting up the stream while keeping the competition’s soul protected.”

PGL CEO Silviu Stroie characterised the integration as an evolution of the company’s production philosophy. “At PGL, innovation is in our DNA,” Stroie stated. “Partnering with Runestone empowers us to deliver a level of interactivity that was once beyond reach: evolving the broadcast into a complete digital ecosystem designed for the next generation of esports fans.”

PGL Cluj-Napoca 2026 will have full broadcast running across PGL’s streaming channels and the data-integrated features accessible to partnered media and platform outlets.

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