Betting platform Stake and tournament organiser StarLadder have announced a partnership to create a new Counter-Strike 2 (CS2) LAN tournament circuit called Stake Ranked. The series aims to bridge the competitive gap between Tier 2 and Tier 1 by providing a stable offline environment for teams to develop. The circuit, featuring a minimum $100,000 prize pool per event, will debut in Europe in 2026 with six planned tournaments, leveraging Valve Regional Standings (VRS) for team selection.
The partnership seeks to address a perceived lack of properly managed events at the Tier 2 level. By combining StarLadder’s extensive LAN production experience with Stake’s investment in the esports ecosystem, the circuit is designed to offer a pathway for team progression.
In a LinkedIn post addressing the announcement, StarLadder’s Сhief Strategic Partnerships Officer Andrew Yatsenko highlighted the strategic move this deal represents, stating the company is expanding “to white-label partnerships.” This indicates the Stake Ranked series functions as an event where StarLadder provides its tournament production expertise under the Stake brand.
“Our goal with Stake Ranked is to create a genuine pathway for ambitious teams to progress from Tier 2 to Tier 1 competition,” said Akhil Sarin, Chief Marketing Officer of Stake in a press release. “We believe the heart of Counter-Strike lies in the LAN environment—where talent is proven, stories are built, and the community truly connects with the game.”
Roman Romantsov, Founder of StarLadder, added: “Our legacy is in LAN events production. We see that Tier 2 events are often not treated properly due to various reasons, and we are here to fix that together with Stake.”
The tournament structure for each Stake Ranked episode will culminate in an 8-team LAN final. Six teams will receive direct invitations based on the Global VRS, while two will advance from a 16-team Closed Qualifier. The qualifiers will include open slots, ensuring opportunities for rising teams. Notably, teams are responsible for their own travel and accommodation expenses for the LAN finals.
The first two events are scheduled for April and May 2026 in European capital cities, with the first strategically timed before the Cologne Major invite cut-off.
This move further expands Stake’s involvement in Counter-Strike, following its landmark sponsorship of the world’s top-ranked team, Team Vitality. It also continues StarLadder’s relationship with gambling platform sponsors, having recently partnered with Rollbit for the Budapest Major 2025. That sponsorship required careful navigation of Twitch’s terms of service, which prohibit the direct promotion of such sites on its platform. Given Stake’s ownership of the streaming platform Kick, it is possible that Stake Ranked broadcasts will likely be hosted there.
The announcement follows StarLadder’s recent success, having been awarded ‘Best Event of the Year’ for its Budapest Major at the HLTV Awards on Saturday, 10 January. Further details regarding host cities and the 2026 roadmap are expected to follow.
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