PGL cancel August 2026 event, first announced in 2024, after EWC expands format to include 32 teams

PGL have today announced the cancelation of their August 6th-16th LAN tournament, ostensibly due to the Esports World Cup announcing an expanded format targeting 32 teams for their August 10th to August 23rd 2026 event.

As the Saudi event is in essence to be a "must-attend" event for organizations due to its massive $2m prizepool, multi-million dollar Club Championship program, and other incentive programs, PGL likely felt they could not compete with the Saudi juggernaut as the majority of top teams will prioritize the 32-team Riyadh-based LAN.

With most teams heading to Riyadh during this time, PGL would have been left with a selection of tier-two and tier-three teams and thus would be unable to justify the expenses and prizepool offering that comes with a tier-one LAN.

Unfortunately this cancelation means the 2026 CS2 calendar will see one fewer tier-one event as the deadline in the TOR has already passed for any tournament organizers to announce new events in 2026.