StarLadder confirms cancellation of May 2026 event; share details for September tournament

A number of Counter-Strike tournaments intended to run in 2026 reportedly will not happen according to PGL CEO Silviu Stroie, who says the organizers have missed the deadline for announcing details.

Stroie alleged that none of the StarLadder events scheduled for 2026 will happen, nor will Fissure Playground 4 or Fissure Playground 5. During the HLTV Confirmed podcast, Editor-in-Chief Milan "Striker" Švejda also stated that he "[doesn't] think there's going to be a StarLadder event next year," adding that he believes that Stroie has "heard the same rumors we have."

In response however, StarLadder has clarified their 2026 schedule, confirming the dates for StarSeries 20 in September 2026, while also confirming that the Spring StarSeries 2026 event originally scheduled for May has been "cancelled due to a scheduling clash with the Summer Major dates." The organizer also stated they will "host the next tier 1 event in 2027," and added that there will be "a series of tier 2 events" planned throughout 2026.

The official StarLadder post on X cheekily includes a photo with both Stroie and Striker photoshopped in.

The announcement for September 2026 comes just in time for StarLadder, as Valve's tournament rules dictate that information including dates and VRS invites must be announced 10 months prior to the start of the main event. StarSeries 20 is scheduled to start in 10 months and four days. The full tournament details can be read on the StarLadder website.