This year's spring season of StarSeries was canceled due to a scheduling conflict with the summer Major, making the fall event the anniversary celebration and continuing the season numbering.
StarSeries Anniversary: New Format and Return to Traditions
StarSeries 20 will serve as a symbolic celebration of the tournament's history, which has gathered the world's best teams for over a decade. Organizers have confirmed that the event will feature 8 teams, with selection through the VRS ranking (Valve Regional Standings), determining participants for the main stage and qualifiers.
We want the StarSeries anniversary to be an event that unites the eras of Counter-Strike — from the first championships to the modern CS2 era
StarLadder
VRS Invitation System: Start Date — July 8
The team invitation process will begin on July 8, 2026. As in the previous season, participants will be determined by global and regional VRS rankings:
- Main Event: by global ranking
- EU Closed Qualifier: by European ranking
- NA Closed Qualifier: for North American teams
- SA Closed Qualifier: for South American teams
Key dates:
- July 6 — rankings used for invitations and seeding of qualifiers
- September 7 — final seeding before the main stage
Online Qualifiers: July – August
Before the
- July 22–26, 2026
- Format: GSL Groups + Play-in (16 teams)
- Top 2 advance to
lan
North America (NA Closed Qualifier)
- July 28 – August 2, 2026
- Format: Double Elimination (8 teams)
- 1 slot in Main Event
South America (SA Closed Qualifier)
- July 28 – August 2, 2026
- Format: Double Elimination (8 teams)
- 1 slot in Main Event
Main Event — lan Stage in September
- September 16–20, 2026
- Schengen Area (location to be confirmed)
The main stage will feature 8 teams — 4 directly invited by global ranking and 4 qualifier winners. The tournament format is Double Elimination, with matches in BO3 format, promising intense competition from the first to the last round.
Prize Pool — $500,000
Regulations and Participation Rules
Organizers emphasized strict requirements for participants:
- The tournament will take place within the Schengen visa zone, and teams are responsible for their own documentation.
- Banned players: anyone banned by Valve or ESIC.
- Violations of fair play or suspicion of match-fixing will lead to disqualification.
- Online qualifiers and the
lan stage are conducted separately.
StarLadder Prepares Tier-1 Tournament for 2027
In addition to StarSeries 20, organizers confirmed a major Tier-1 tournament in 2027 — from October 20 to 24. A series of Tier-2 events is also planned throughout 2026, with details to be announced later.
StarSeries 20 will be one of the key tournaments of the 2026 season and a celebration of StarLadder's history in the new era of Counter-Strike 2. The anniversary event will gather the strongest representatives of the global scene, a large prize pool, and the traditional
