StarLadder CS:GO Major dates in August and September are changed
StarLadder has announced a slight change to the dates of the Challengers and Legends stages of the upcoming Counter-Strike: Global Offensive major.
The Challengers Stage has been reduced to just four days, now running between August 23 and 26. The original schedule for the event had this stage listed as a six-day tournament. Meanwhile the Legends Stage of the competition will now be held between August 28 and September 1, having been reduced to a five-day competition instead of six as originally planned.
The Champions Stage remains unchanged, with the competition taking place at the Mercedes-Benz Arena in Berlin between September 5 and 8.
A StarLadder representative
told HLTV
that this is “the first step towards reducing the footprint of CS:GO Majors on the global event schedule.”
While shortening the length of the stages by a few days may not seem like a big deal at first, it is certainly a welcome move for most people involved. For StarLadder it means a reduction in costs. For the teams that do not make it through to the Champions Stage, it means they can get back to competing in other tournaments or go on break sooner.
Tickets for the Champions Stage have also gone on sale, with a general admission four-day pass setting you back €99 ($110.02). Single day tickets are also available, with access on Thursday and Friday costing €25 per day ($27.82) and access for Saturday and the grand final on Sunday costing €35 ($38.94) per day. Tickets can be purchased on
The Ticket Fairy. Premium four-day passess have already sold out, so prospective attendees may not want to delay much further.
The open qualifiers for the StarLadder Major are set to kick off in the coming days, with teams hoping to make it through to the closed qualifiers where they will have a chance to qualify for the Minors.
While teams that compete in these open qualifiers rarely make it all the way to the final stages of the competition, there are often more than a few upsets from squads on the rise, and you never know when the next upstart may be taking its first step towards major glory.
Fariha Bhatti
About Fariha Bhatti
Fariha Bhatti is a long-time gaming writer who loves competitive FPS games and slots with particularly fun themes. She got her start playing classic games developed by SNK, from legendary fighting game series The King of Fighters to challenging platform franchise Metal Slug. She now spends most of her time playing Valorant and Counter-Strike 2 while working her way through new slot releases to find her next favorite. Fariha has been published at PCGamesN, TalkEsport and ONE Esports.
View full profile
Read Also
Counter-Strike
XSE Pro League 2026 in China: Teams, format and prize pool
Owen Harsono
Counter-Strike is back after the IEM Cologne Major, as the XSE Pro League 2026 is the first notable event since then. 16 teams book flights to China to compete in the million-dollar event. Here’s everything you need to know about the XSE Pro League 2026 event. Top-tier Counter-Strike returns to the passionate grounds of China, as the event will take place in the city of Guangzhou. Teams will play in ...
Esports Betting
Will Valve add Cache in the CS2 Premier Season 5 Active Duty map pool?
Wasif Ahmed
Following the highly anticipated return of Cache to Counter-Strike 2 earlier this season, the competitive community has almost started believing that the legendary industrial map would soon make its way into the Active Duty map pool for Premier Season 5. This expectation followed a pattern set by Train, which Valve brought back late last year before quickly pushing it into the main professional tournament rotation. However, in a recent Twitter ...
Counter-Strike
IEM Cologne Grand Final: Team Falcons vs FURIA best betting predictions
Owen Harsono
Coming into the IEM Cologne Major, nobody would have expected a grand final series between Team Falcons and FURIA, but here we are. Will NiKo finally win his first Major, or will FalleN win another one before retiring at the end of the year? Here are our IEM Cologne Major Grand Final predictions. Tournament: IEM Cologne Major 2026 Stage: Grand Final Game: Counter-Strike 2 Format: Best-of-five Betting tip: Team Falcons ...
Counter-Strike
Team Spirit vs Team Falcons IEM Cologne Major: betting predictions and picks
Owen Harsono
We’re in for a treat, as Team Spirit will take on Team Falcons for a spot in the IEM Cologne Major grand final. Will NiKo finally get another shot at winning a Major, or will donk and company prevent him from accomplishing his lifelong goal? Here are our IEM Cologne Major Team Spirit vs Team Falcons predictions. Tournament: IEM Cologne Major 2026 Stage: Semi-Final Game: Counter-Strike 2 Format: Best-of-three Betting ...
Counter-Strike
Vitality vs Falcons betting predictions and best picks: IEM Cologne Major 2026
Owen Harsono
We’re treated to a possible grand final matchup here in the quarterfinal of the IEM Cologne Major, with Team Vitality taking on Team Falcons in an elimination match. These are two of the highest-profile teams in the game right now, but only one of them can continue their chase for the trophy. Here are our IEM Cologne Major Team Vitality vs Team Falcons predictions. Tournament: IEM Cologne Major 2026 Stage: ...
Counter-Strike
IEM Cologne Major 2026 playoffs preview: matchups & predictions
Owen Harsono
The top eight teams at the IEM Cologne 2026 Major are set. Most of the favorites easily secured their spots, but we also have promising underdogs sneaking into the bracket. To keep you up to speed, here’s everything you need to know about the IEM Cologne Major playoffs. We started with 32 teams and are now only down to eight. After a grueling Stage 3, teams have been seeded into ...
Counter-Strike
IEM Cologne Major 2026 CS2 Playoffs Pick’Em Predictions
Owen Harsono
It’s that time of the year again, as the next Counter-Strike 2 Major is right around the corner. The IEM Cologne 2026 Major is set to start on June 2, meaning you still have some time to lock in your Pick’Em predictions. The Pick’Em Challenge is one of the most exciting parts of the CS2 Majors, as it allows you to test your knowledge and predict which teams make it ...
