From February 14 to February 22, Romania will once again play host to some of the best Counter Strike 2 teams on the scene. With Aurora Gaming winning the final round over Legacy at the PGL Masters Bicharest 2025 on November 1, 2025, it is high time for the new season to kick off. The long running tournament organization has been going strong since 2002, and their Cluj-Pagonia event is without a doubt one of the fan favorites. Players, too, love to come to the second most populous city in the country, which has historically shown huge love to CS2 as it is one of the favorite games of the entire region.
With 16 S Tier teams competing at the BTarena, there is a lot at stake at the first event of 2026. From considerable prize pool earnings to important rank points for the rest of the season, it is going to be a blast. If you are a fan of the game and, more importantly, an esports wagering enthusiast, there is a ton of information to go over. From the format and the teams to how much the winners get and what happened in 2025, we cover it all. Read on to familiarize yourself with this important PGL event and make sure to check out this exclusive Esports betting guide to maximize your chances at winning big while cheering on your favorite professional organization.
What is PGL Exactly?
Before focusing on the event itself, a broader overview is in order. PGL Esports (commonly called PGL) is a Romanian esports organizer and production company established in 2002 that has become one of the most respected names in competitive Counter Strike over the past decade. While PGL runs tournaments across multiple esports titles, it is particularly well known for producing premier Counter Strike events, including Valve sponsored Majors, the highest tier of competition in the game’s ecosystem, such as the PGL Major Copenhagen 2024. PGL’s history in Counter Strike dates back to hosting iconic events like the CS: GO Major in Kraków 2017, Stockholm 2021, and Antwerp 2022, with peak viewership figures in the millions at times.
With the onset of the modern Counter Strike 2 (CS2) era, PGL’s tournaments are part of the official competitive calendar recognized by Valve and influence global standings through Valve Regional Standings (VRS). These standings determine invitations to future events and are a key part of how teams are seeded throughout the season. As such, they have become bigger than ever, both for the fans who enjoy the highest tier competition and the teams and players who have these events marked down on their calendars. As an early year event, it can help teams immensely for the rest of the season.
While PGL organizes and focuses most on the grandest scale of Valve Majors, it also runs Tier 1 events that are not Majors but still critically important for teams seeking prize money, ranking points, and competitive momentum. PGL Cluj-Napoca is one of these key Tier 1 tournaments. But make no mistake: to put it in tennis terms, if the Majors are the Grand Slams, Tier 1 events are Masters, which means the same top level talent comes to compete at the highest level.
The Scale of PGL Cluj-Napoca
Cluj-Napoca has a special place in Counter Strike history. The city hosted one of the early CS: GO Majors in 2015 and has since become a familiar host for CS2 events. Unlike a Major, which features 24 or 32 teams and usually a larger global audience due to Valve’s direct sponsorship, the PGL Cluj-Napoca tournament is a Tier 1 global invitational event featuring a 16 team field. While not of the highest status on the season calendar, Cluj-Napoca remains a large, world class competition due to the quality of its participants and substantial prize pool. It is also a popular wagering event, with PGL Cluj-Napoca betting odds dominating the sportsbooks prior to and during the competition.
Compared to other big events such as Intel Extreme Masters (IEM) tournaments with million dollar prize pools and global exposure, or PGL run Majors, which are the pinnacle of competitive CS2, Cluj-Napoca sits just below in terms of prestige but still draws elite professional teams and significant viewership. It is beloved, always features the best teams, and it is a privilege and an honor to win it. The upcoming PGL Cluj-Napoca 2026 is scheduled to run for two weeks from Monday, February 9, to Sunday, February 22, 2026, in Cluj-Napoca, Romania, with key action taking place at the famous BTarena. This edition will showcase 16 top CS2 teams competing across a Swiss system group stage and a single elimination playoff stage.
Like other PGL Tier 1 events, it is part of the competitive ecosystem that feeds into Valve’s broader season and Major invitations. The total prize pool for this tournament is $625,000 USD, distributed among all participants. The winning team’s share is the largest with $225,000, with runner ups getting $100,000, 3rd place getting $68,750, and 4th place earning $43,750. Other placing teams receive scaled amounts, 5th-8th get $25,000, 9th-11th get $15,625, 12th014th get $9,375, and 15th-16th get $6,250. While lower than last year’s edition, the prize money still represents a major financial opportunity for the competing organizations and players.
Except for the direct prize money, teams also compete for Valve Regional Standings points (VRS), which influence qualification for future tournaments, including Majors. High placements here can secure invite positions or better seeding for those larger championships. Performance also contributes to an organization’s reputation and sponsorship appeal, both for the rest of the year and beyond.
Format and Competition Structure
The tournament usually follows a two phase format. First is the typical Swiss stage, which is then followed by the playoffs. In the first stage, all 16 teams are placed in a Swiss system bracket where they compete in best of three maps. In this system, teams play others with similar records over several rounds. The top eight teams based on wins and Buchholz tiebreakers move on, while the bottom eight are eliminated.
Following the Swiss rounds, the playoffs adopt a single elimination bracket. Matches are best of three until the finals, which is an always exciting best of five model. This structure ensures intense competition, as every match could determine a team’s fate and potential earnings. In addition, PGL has adopted rules around team invitations to ensure stability: teams that accept invites are expected to attend, and withdrawals can lead to disqualification from future invitations. This came after instances of teams withdrawing very late, necessitating patch ups in the invite list and disrupting the whole tournament.
For the 2026 edition, invitations were based on placements in the Valve Regional Standings as of early January, with 14 of the top 16 spots initially used to invite teams. Due to a roster validity issue with one organization, FUT Esports was confirmed as a replacement entry after Legacy withdrew from the competition. The full list of teams competing includes some of the biggest names in CS2. Here is who will be competing: FURIA, Team Vitality, Team Falcons, FaZe Clan, MOUZ, Natus Vincere (NaVi), Astralis, G2 Esports, 3DMAX, Aurora Gaming, B8, paiN, The MongolZ, PARIVISION, paiN Gaming, FUT Esports, and HEROIC.
Revisiting the Cluj-Napoca 2025 Tournament
When talking about upcoming competitive events in both traditional sports and esports, it makes sense to look back to the previous iteration. Historical context is key when determining odds and trying to predict the outcomes, so here is a little refresher course. The PGL Cluj-Napoca 2025 tournament was one of the early marquee CS2 events of its season. Held in February 2025, it featured a massive $1,250,000 prize pool, twice the size of this year’s, and a standard 16 team format where MOUZ emerged as the champion after defeating Team Falcons 3-1 in the grand final and winning $400,000. Bosnian player Nikola “Niko” Kovac of MOUZ was the MVP.
The format that year was a classic Swiss plus playoff system with group matches leading into a single elimination playoff bracket. The Grand Final was a best of five match that ultimately crowned MOUZ as the 2025 champions. That event also drew a strong field, including Astralis, FaZe Clan, The MongolZ, and more, confirming the global reach of PGL tournaments. The size of the prize pool and quality of competition made it one of the standout non Major events of the season that offered teams momentum and prestige heading into the rest of the year. The same will be true this year, despite the prize pool being cut in half.
What is at Stake in 2026 and the Favorites
Rivals view this event as a chance to begin the year with momentum and secure valuable VRS points, while refining strategies and getting valuable team experience with new rosters against high caliber opponents. Team Vitality enters PGL Cluj-Napoca 2026 as the favorite, widely regarded across prediction markets and community odds thanks to their dominant 2025 season and recent form. Following Vitality, Team Falcons are among the top contenders with strong roster firepower that has shown big match potential, now fielding Niko Kovac, last year’s MVP. PARIVISION and FURIA also rank highly in winning probability, each capable of deep runs if they find peak form during the Swiss stage. Defending champs MOUZ and Natus Vincere could easily upset the favorites.
Historically, strong performances at PGL’s early events correlate with invitations to Majors and other big tournaments later in the season. Every match is important beyond just the immediate prize money and the trophy. Moreover, Cluj-Napoca’s legacy as a competitive CS2 venue, one that has hosted Majors and memorable matches, adds prestige and weight to a team’s victory here, with fans around the world tuning in to watch some of the best Counter Strike play this year has to offer. Check back at Stake.com in the following days for the latest odds and various betting markets for this prestigious CS2 event.
Competitive Counter Strike 2 FAQs
1. How is Counter Strike 2 different from CS: GO at the pro level?
CS2 runs on Valve’s Source 2 engine, which introduced sub tick servers, reworked smokes with real physics, improved visuals, and updated maps. For pros, this changes utility usage, timings, and how micro movements and peeks work, small differences that matter a lot at the highest level.
2. What are sub tick servers? Why do pros care so much?
Sub tick servers register actions between ticks, meaning shots, movement, and utility are recorded more precisely. Pros care because it affects peeker’s advantage, spray consistency, and reaction based plays. This makes the game feel more accurate, but also requires adjustment.
3. What are the biggest Counter Strike 2 tournaments?
The biggest events include Valve Majors, IEM Katowice, IEM Cologne, BLAST Premier World Final, and ESL Pro League. Majors are the most prestigious, while Katowice and Cologne are often called the “cathedrals of Counter Strike.”
4. How do teams qualify for a CS2 Major?
Teams qualify through Regional Major Ranking (RMR) events, where performance over several matches determines who earns a Major slot. Strong regional performance is essential, since one bad series can end a team’s Major dreams.
5. How much money do CS2 pros actually make?
Top tier players earn money from salaries, prize pools, stickers, sponsorships, and streaming. Elite players on top teams can make six to seven figures annually, while tier 2 pros often rely heavily on team salaries and online events.
6. Why do teams make roster changes so often?
Counter Strike is incredibly role dependent. If one player does not fit tactically or mentally, it can hurt the whole system. Teams also chase better firepower, leadership, or synergy, sometimes even right after winning tournaments.
7. What role does the in game leader (IGL) play?
The IGL calls strategies, mid round adjustments, and often handles mental pressure. Great IGLs do not always top the scoreboard, but they win games with decisions, reads, and timing.
8. Are online tournaments taken as seriously as LAN events?
Not quite. LAN tournaments remove ping differences, online comfort, and home setups, making them the ultimate test of CS2 prowess. Many players perform far better, or worse, once they are on stage with a crowd watching.
9. How important is utility usage in professional CS2?
Utility is everything. Pro teams spend hours perfecting smoke lineups, flash timings, and nade damage. In CS2, dynamic smokes and interaction with HE grenades make utility even more strategic than before.
10. Can new teams break into the CS2 pro scene?
Yes, but it is quite hard. Open qualifiers, regional leagues, and online tournaments allow new teams to climb. Success usually requires consistent results, strong fundamentals, and a standout player or IGL to attract attention.