StarLadder has outlined the details for its upcoming Counter-Strike 2 (CS2) tournament series, announcing StarSeries 20 for September 2026 and confirming a Tier-1 event for the following year. The announcement comes amidst public discussion regarding the status of several organisers’ 2026 event schedules.
The reveal provides clarity on the tournament’s structure, regional qualifiers, and a total prize pool of $500,000, with the Main Event scheduled to be held in a still unconfirmed country in the Schengen zone.
The StarSeries 20 season will commence with online Closed Qualifiers for Europe, North America, and South America in July and August 2026. As determined by rules set by CS2 publisher Valve, these qualifiers will use the VRS (Valve Ranking System) to determine invited teams. The top four teams from the global VRS rankings will receive direct invites to the Main Event, where they will be joined by four qualified teams. The LAN finals will run from 16–20 September 2026.
Also read: CORSAIR joins the StarLadder Budapest CS2 Major
In a statement accompanying the season overview, StarLadder addressed its future plans directly, stating, “We are pleased to announce that StarLadder will host the next Tier-1 event in 2027, from October 20-24, in addition, a series of Tier-2 events is planned throughout 2026.”
This confirmation of a 2027 event provides context to recent industry discourse. The StarLadder announcement was published less than 24 hours after Silviu Stroie, CEO of rival tournament organiser PGL, claimed on X that “None of the Starladder CS2 Tier 1 events in 2026 will take place,” and that there had been “no Starladder announcement for any Tier 1 event in 2027.”
StarLadder did not comment Stroie’s post upon contact by The Esports Radar, but the detailed release also notes the cancellation of a Spring 2026 event due to a “scheduling clash with the Summer Major dates.”
The outlined structure for StarSeries 20 maintains the organiser’s established format, utilising the VRS for team selection and offering an equal split of the prize pool between players and their clubs. With the schedule now public, teams can begin planning their competitive roadmap for the latter half of 2026.
