Summary:
- The much-anticipated PGL Belgrade 2025 CS2 was originally supposed to take place at the Belgrade Arena, in Serbia, from October 25- November 2, 2025.
- Some unforeseen logistical challenges arose that forced PGL to host the event at their studio in Bucharest, Romania, instead.
- The event features a $1.25 million prize pool, drawing in 16 teams from around the world.
PGL is one of the most popular names in esports for major tournaments. So when they announced the upcoming PGL Belgrade 2025’s relocation, it shocked the esports scene. Now the event won’t be coming to Serbia and will take place somewhere else. Whew, some big switches! But what caused the change?
PGL Belgrade 2025 Overview
They announced that PGL Belgrade 2025 would occur in Belgrade Arena, Serbia from 25 October to 2 November 2025. Supposedly, it is located in the famous Belgrade Arena, with a capacity of 19,000 with all the latest things. This venue is iconic within the city of Belgrade, known for its high capacity, which can cater to big events. And they designed it as one of the most technologically sophisticated venues that meet the highest European standards. For this reason, this makes it one of the best venues in Europe for competitively related events.
They confirmed PGL Belgrade to be the final PGL tournament of the year. And so, this tournament will be the place for teams to test their skill, with all the money on the line. With a prize pool of $1.25 million, CS2 teams were going to be shaking in their boots.
PGL Belgrade 2025 got rid of traditional online qualifiers and selected their 16 teams using the Valve Regional Standings (VRS). They structured the tournament to entice the best global CS2 competition. The group stage, Swiss system format consisted of best-of-three rounds with the top eight teams advancing to the playoffs. The playoffs were composed of a single-elimination bracket with a best-of-five finals.
Reason for PGL Belgrade 2025’s Relocation
“Unanticipated logistical problems” prevented the physical event from being held in its originally scheduled location. Consequently, PGL Belgrade 2025 relocated from the Belgrade Arena in Serbia. They planned the tournament five months in advance on October 25th to November 2nd, 2025. Unfortunately, those unpredictable problems have forced the organizers to turn to their own in-house facilities in Romania.
A big reason said to cause the logistical issues was that the ATP 250 Belgrade Open tennis tournament happened around the same dates as the PGL planned to book the arena. This is now the second time in 2025 that PGL has only experienced issues with venues. PGL canceled their 2027 Kraków event as another organiser, ESL FACEIT Group, secured the venue for their IEM tournament.
Looking at the broader context from not just the logistic challenges, there is going to be competition between PGL and the other major tournament organizers in the Counter-Strike esports space. In a public statement, PGL’s CEO Silviu Stroie accused some of these entities of taking a ‘concerted effort’ to hurt PGL’s event-hosting function. However, moving locations becomes a bit trickier when it raises issues of potential competition with respect to who gets control of venues during the crowded esports calendar.
At the end of the day, PGL says they will make sure the event is a great product. It’s clear that the company ensures that the quality of the tournament is maintained
Details of the New Venue
PGL Belgrade 2025 relocates from the originally planned arena in Belgrade, Serbia, to PGL Studios in Bucharest, Romania. Accordingly, the new PGL venue has some flexibility since it’s in PGL’s own space. PGL has already hosted an event there successfully, the PGL Bucharest 2025 in April.
Although the players will likely play without a live audience. Regardless, a controlled environment allows everything to proceed without a hiccup. Therefore, PGL can deliver a great experience for players and viewers without any issues. Then, players, viewers, and PGL will still have a fun event, even though the venue has changed.
Conclusion
At the end of the day, PGL’s relocation of the Belgrade 2025 event to their Bucharest studios doesn’t mean the fans will miss the electric feeling of the packed arena. The show goes on. And PGL will do everything to ensure the competitiveness is through the roof and the prize is plentiful. It will definitely impact the vibe of the event, but the core excitement of the tournament is front and center.
