PGL cancel CS2 event after Esports World Cup clash

PGL has sensationally cancelled their August 2026 event and blamed the Esports World Cup and ESL for failing to respect rival organizers. 

The announcement means there will be one fewer tier one LAN events on the Counter-Strike calendar in 2026, with the deadline having already passed to announce any new events. 

The PGL event was due to run from August 6-16 in Belgrade, Serbia, but with the Esports World Cup announcing they were expanding to 32 teams and running a 128-team LAN qualifier, it has made it almost impossible to attract tier one teams. 

The EWC CS2 event is due to kick off on August 10 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and features a whopping $2million USD in prize money, making it a must-attend event for pro CS2 teams. And now with an expanded qualifying event, if the PGL event runs at the same time, they will struggle to attract any teams given the spoils on offer in Riyadh. 

The ESL FaceIt Group has been attracting increased criticism from esports fans since it was formed in 2022, following Savvy Games estimated $1.5billion acquisition of both in January 2022. 

Counter-Strike 2 fans are questioning whether the ESL FaceIt Group’s impact on competitive gaming has been positive, despite the fact they have pumped so much money into it via the Saudia Arabia Public Investment Fund. 

Valve, the creators of CS2, are yet to publicly comment on the cancellation of PGL Belgrade. Disappointed fans are quick to point out they could simply enforce a rule that means when announcing an event they must also confirm the amount of teams and qualifiers that would be taking part. Ironically, PGL had given these details when first announcing their event in 2024.