PGL Major Singapore 2026 Schedule, Teams and Format
When does the PGL Major Singapore 2026 start, which 32 teams are in it, and how does a team get from Stage 1 to the arena? The second Counter-Strike 2 Major of the year runs from November 24 to December 13. It has 3 Swiss stages and a 4-day playoff at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.
My read is that the trophy sits between 3 teams: MOUZ, Team Vitality and FURIA. They have won 5 of the last 8 big LAN events between them, and MOUZ arrive at No. 1 on both Valve's standings and HLTV's ranking. I'd pick MOUZ by a small margin, and the results behind that pick are further down.
PGL Major Singapore 2026 Schedule
PGL's event page lists 4 parts, and each of the first 3 cuts 16 teams down to 8. The venue's listing still shows November 25 as the first day, but PGL's own bracket has Round 1 on November 24.
Stage | Dates | Teams | Matches | Who moves on |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Stage 1 | Nov 24 to 27 | 16 invited | Best-of-1, with best-of-3 when a team can advance or go out | Top 8 to Stage 2 |
Stage 2 | Nov 28 to Dec 1 | 8 invited and 8 from Stage 1 | Same as Stage 1 | Top 8 to Stage 3 |
Stage 3 | Dec 2 to 6 | 8 invited and 8 from Stage 2 | All best-of-3 | Top 8 to the playoffs |
Playoffs | Dec 10 to 13 | 8 | Best-of-3, with a best-of-5 grand final | Champion on Dec 13 |
There are no matches from December 7 to 9. Only the playoffs have a crowd, and PGL hasn't named where Stages 1 to 3 are played.
Start Times in SGT and UTC
PGL has published times for the first round only, and the venue has published the arena sessions. Singapore time (SGT) is 8 hours ahead of UTC.
Day | Singapore time | UTC | What starts |
|---|---|---|---|
Nov 24, Stage 1 Round 1 | 12:00 pm | 04:00 | 2 matches every hour until 3:00 pm, on 2 streams |
Dec 10 to 12, playoffs | 5:00 pm, doors at 3:30 pm | 09:00 | Arena sessions |
Dec 13, final day | 2:00 pm, doors at 12:30 pm | 06:00 | Third-place decider, then the grand final |
For viewers in India, those 3 starts are 9:30 am, 2:30 pm and 11:30 am IST. The 12:00 pm opener is 5:00 am in Central Europe and 11:00 pm Eastern on November 23.
These are the 8 opening matches on November 24, all best-of-1.
Singapore time | Match | Match |
|---|---|---|
12:00 pm | HEROIC vs Imperial Esports | 9z Team vs Lynn Vision Gaming |
1:00 pm | Ninjas in Pyjamas vs M80 | 100 Thieves vs Chinggis Warriors |
2:00 pm | Team Liquid vs GOSH | PVISION vs DENDELE CS |
3:00 pm | FaZe Clan vs Wildcard | Eternal Fire vs FlyQuest |
Round 2 is also played on November 24, Round 3 on November 25, Round 4 on November 26 and Round 5 on November 27. Times after Round 1 aren't published yet, and neither are the times for Stage 2 and Stage 3. PGL also hasn't said which playoff matches fall on which day.
How the Format Works
Each of the first 3 stages uses the Swiss system (teams only play opponents with the same win-loss record). A team is through with 3 wins and out with 3 losses, so nobody plays more than 5 rounds in a stage.
- Stage 1 and Stage 2: Rounds 1 and 2 are best-of-1. From Round 3, any match that can send a team through or home is best-of-3.
- Stage 3: every match is best-of-3.
- Seeding: Valve's global standings of November 2 set the seeds. In Stage 2 and Stage 3, the 8 invited teams take seeds 1 to 8 and the 8 teams coming up take seeds 9 to 16.
- Round 1: seed 1 plays seed 9, seed 2 plays seed 10 and so on. Later rounds pair teams by record and by how strong their earlier opponents were.
- Playoffs: a single-elimination bracket seeded from the Stage 3 table.
The stage a team starts in changes how much it has to win.
Starting stage | Match wins to reach the arena | Match wins to lift the trophy | Matches played by a champion |
|---|---|---|---|
Stage 1 | 9 | 12 | 12 to 18 |
Stage 2 | 6 | 9 | 9 to 13 |
Stage 3 | 3 | 6 | 6 to 8 |
A Stage 1 team has to win twice as many matches as a Stage 3 team, and its first 2 rounds in Stage 1 and Stage 2 are single maps. I think that is the hardest part of the format for a lower seed, because 2 lost maps leave a team 0-2 and one defeat from going home.
How Teams Qualified
There was no qualifier for this Major. All 32 seats went out as invites through Valve's standings of November 2, with each region filling its own seats from its own list.
Region | Stage 3 | Stage 2 | Stage 1 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Europe | 6 | 6 | 6 | 18 |
Americas | 2 | 1 | 6 | 9 |
Asia | 0 | 1 | 4 | 5 |
Valve's rulebook hands out the Stage 3 seats by how each region did at the last Major. In Cologne in June, 6 European teams and 2 from the Americas reached the playoffs, so those regions hold the 8 Stage 3 seats now.
Because of that rule, FUT Esports are 8th in Valve's global standings on 1721 points and still start in Stage 2. Legacy are 9th on 1662 and start in Stage 3. Legacy are the second-best team in the Americas, and FUT are the 7th-best in Europe.
The last seat in each region was decided by these margins:
- Europe: 100 Thieves got in on 1511 points, 23 ahead of HOTU and fnatic on 1488.
- Asia: Lynn Vision Gaming got in on 1267, 3 ahead of TYLOO on 1264.
- Americas: Wildcard got in on 1391, 69 ahead of NRG on 1322.
PGL Major Singapore 2026 Teams
These are the 16 teams invited straight to the later stages. The number after each name is its place in Valve's global standings on November 2.
Stage 3 | Stage 2 |
|---|---|
MOUZ (1) | FUT Esports (8) |
Team Vitality (2) | Nemiga Gaming (10) |
FURIA (3) | G2 Esports (11) |
Aurora Gaming (4) | The One (12) |
Team Spirit (5) | Natus Vincere (13) |
BB Team (6) | Astralis (14) |
Team Falcons (7) | The MongolZ (17) |
Legacy (9) | MIBR (19) |
The other 16 start in Stage 1. Each row below is also a Round 1 match, since seed 1 plays seed 9.
Stage 1, seeds 1 to 8 | Stage 1, seeds 9 to 16 |
|---|---|
Ninjas in Pyjamas (15) | M80 (25) |
PVISION (16) | DENDELE CS (29) |
HEROIC (18) | Imperial Esports (35) |
FaZe Clan (20) | Wildcard (38) |
Team Liquid (21) | GOSH (45) |
Eternal Fire (22) | FlyQuest (48) |
100 Thieves (23) | Chinggis Warriors (55) |
9z Team (24) | Lynn Vision Gaming (56) |
In Singapore, 4 teams are playing under different names. BB Team is BetBoom Team, The One is 1win, GOSH is BC.Game and PVISION is PARIVISION. Insider Gaming reports that PGL required the changes to meet Singapore's rules on gambling brands.
A few rosters are worth knowing before you watch:
- Team Falcons are the defending champions with NiKo, m0NESY, karrigan, TeSeS and kyousuke.
- MOUZ play with torzsi, xertioN, Spinx, xelex and PR.
- FURIA have FalleN, KSCERATO, yuurih, molodoy and YEKINDAR. EsportNow reports that FalleN will retire at the end of 2026.
- GOSH have s1mple and Magisk alongside Senzu, mzinho and asap.
On November 12, Liquipedia's roster list showed a stand-in on 5 teams: Vitality, FUT, Astralis, Legacy and 9z. PGL's page doesn't list rosters, so I'd check the lineups again on match day.
Asian Teams at the Singapore Major
This is the first Major in Southeast Asia, and 5 of the 32 teams come from Valve's Asia region. None of them is from Southeast Asia or South Asia.
- The MongolZ (Mongolia) start in Stage 2. They reached the IEM Beijing final on November 8 and are 10th in HLTV's ranking of November 9.
- GOSH start in Stage 1 as seed 13. Valve ranks the roster in Asia, the region of 3 of its 5 players: Senzu and mzinho from Mongolia and asap from Australia.
- FlyQuest (Australia and New Zealand) start in Stage 1 as seed 14.
- Chinggis Warriors (Mongolia) start in Stage 1 as seed 15.
- Lynn Vision Gaming (China) start in Stage 1 as seed 16.
The 4 Asian teams in Stage 1 hold the bottom 4 seeds. They sit between 45th and 56th in Valve's standings, while the other 12 teams in the stage sit between 15th and 38th. Each needs 3 wins from that position, so I'd treat one Asian team reaching Stage 2 as a good result.
No Indian player is on any of the 32 rosters as Liquipedia lists them, and neither is anyone from the rest of South Asia. Southeast Asia has no team, and its only links are 2 players on that list. Indonesia's BnTeT is GOSH's registered substitute, and Anlelele, listed under Vietnam's flag, is down as the stand-in for Astralis.
Prize Pool
The prize pool is $1.25 million, the same as the Cologne Major. This is the split as listed on Liquipedia.
Place | Prize |
|---|---|
1st | $500,000 |
2nd | $170,000 |
3rd | $100,000 |
4th | $60,000 |
5th to 8th | $45,000 each |
9th to 16th | $20,000 each |
17th to 24th | $10,000 each |
The champion takes 40% of the pool. The 8 teams that go out in Stage 1 aren't listed with any prize money.
Third-Place Decider
Singapore adds a match for 3rd place. The 2 losing semifinalists play it on December 13, before the grand final. GosuGamers' report on the announcement quotes PGL calling it "the first-ever third-place decider matchup in Counter-Strike history."
I'd read that as a first for Majors, because other events already play one. MOUZ beat Vitality for 3rd place at PGL Masters Bucharest on October 31.
- Liquipedia's bracket lists the decider as a best-of-3.
- At Cologne, both losing semifinalists took $80,000. In Singapore the same $160,000 is split $100,000 and $60,000, so the match is worth $40,000.
- The final day starts at 2:00 pm, 3 hours earlier than the other arena days, which leaves room for both matches.
Where to Watch
Liquipedia lists the English broadcast on PGL's channels on Twitch, YouTube and Kick. The Swiss stages run 2 matches at a time, so a second stream runs on PGL's CS2 channels.
PGL also lets independent creators stream the matches for free in any language, as long as they use the in-game spectator feed and keep the stream non-commercial. I'd expect watch parties in several languages because of that.
PGL hasn't announced its broadcast talent or any official streams in other languages.
Tickets and Venue
Only December 10 to 13 are open to the public. The Singapore Indoor Stadium holds more than 12,000 people, and the venue's event page lists one price per day.
Day | Price before booking fee |
|---|---|
Thu, Dec 10 | S$144 |
Fri, Dec 11 | S$169 |
Sat, Dec 12 | S$294 |
Sun, Dec 13 | S$369 |
Tickets have been on sale through Ticketmaster Singapore since February 25, with a S$6 booking fee per ticket and a limit of 10 per order. All 4 days add up to S$976 before fees. I'd check Ticketmaster for what is left before planning a trip around one day.
Who Has the Form to Win
Team Falcons won the last Major. They beat FURIA 3-0 in Cologne on June 21, and BLAST.tv's report on the final put the audience at 2.75 million viewers, a Counter-Strike record.
These are the 8 big LAN events the leading teams have played since mid-August, all graded S-Tier by Liquipedia.
Event | Final | Winner | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|
Esports World Cup | Aug 23 | Team Spirit | FUT Esports |
BLAST Open Fall | Sep 6 | Team Spirit | MOUZ |
FISSURE Playground 3 | Sep 13 | Legacy | G2 Esports |
StarLadder StarSeries Fall | Sep 20 | Team Vitality | Aurora Gaming |
ESL Pro League Season 24 | Oct 11 | Team Vitality | MOUZ |
Thunderpick World Championship | Oct 18 | FURIA | BetBoom Team |
PGL Masters Bucharest | Oct 31 | FURIA | Nemiga Gaming |
IEM Beijing | Nov 8 | MOUZ | The MongolZ |
Spirit's first title in that run came at the Esports World Cup in Paris. This is how the 5 teams that matter most did across the 8 events.
Team | Events played | Titles | Finals | Top-4 finishes | Latest finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
MOUZ | 6 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 1st, IEM Beijing |
Team Vitality | 5 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 4th, PGL Masters Bucharest |
FURIA | 8 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 5th to 6th, IEM Beijing |
Team Spirit | 4 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 9th to 11th, PGL Masters Bucharest |
Team Falcons | 5 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 7th to 8th, IEM Beijing |
My read of each team:
- MOUZ finished 2nd, 3rd and 1st in their last 3 events. Inven Global's report has them winning IEM Beijing without dropping a map, with a 3-0 final over The MongolZ.
- Team Vitality won both finals they reached, including a 3-0 over MOUZ on October 11. MOUZ beat them in the BLAST Open Fall semifinals and in the Bucharest match for 3rd place.
- FURIA won 2 titles in 2 weeks in October, and both finals went to 3-2. They are also the only team here that played all 8 events.
- Team Spirit won the first 2 events on the list. Since September 6 they have finished 4th and 9th to 11th.
- Team Falcons haven't reached a final since Cologne.
Both rankings now have the same team on top. MOUZ lead Valve's standings on 1960 points, with Vitality on 1922 and FURIA on 1912. HLTV had FURIA at No. 1 on November 2, and MOUZ passed them on November 9 by 912 points to 910.
So I'd pick MOUZ, narrowly, with Vitality second and FURIA third. MOUZ have the newest title and the most finals. They have also lost 2 of those 3 finals, and they went out of the Cologne Major in 12th to 14th place. That is why I'd keep the margin small.
One event can still change this. BLAST Rivals Fall runs in Hong Kong until November 15 with 8 of the Major's teams. As of November 12, FURIA had won their group by beating Vitality 2-1. MOUZ had lost their opener to G2 and gone through as a third seed, and they were due to meet Vitality in the quarterfinals on November 13.
FAQs on PGL Major Singapore 2026
What maps are in the pool for the PGL Major Singapore 2026?
Liquipedia lists 7 maps: Ancient, Anubis, Cache, Dust II, Inferno, Mirage and Nuke. Cache has taken the place Overpass had at the Cologne Major in June.
Can you watch Stage 1, Stage 2 or Stage 3 in person?
No. Only the playoffs from December 10 to 13 have a live audience, at the Singapore Indoor Stadium. PGL has not named the venue for the 3 Swiss stages.
What time does the PGL Major Singapore grand final start?
The final day is Sunday, December 13. The arena session starts at 2:00 pm Singapore time, which is 06:00 UTC, and the third-place decider is played first. PGL has not published a separate start time for the grand final.
Is the PGL Major Singapore 2026 free to watch online?
Yes. The official broadcast is on PGL's Twitch, YouTube and Kick channels, and none of them needs a paid subscription. PGL also allows free community streams that use the in-game spectator feed.
Where is the next Counter-Strike Major after Singapore?
Liquipedia lists the next Major as Buenos Aires in 2027, run by FiReSPORTS.
What I'd Watch First
I'd start with the 4 Asian openers on November 24. GOSH, FlyQuest, Chinggis Warriors and Lynn Vision all play a single map against a higher seed between 12:00 pm and 3:00 pm Singapore time. A win there leaves that team needing 2 more from up to 4 rounds.
After that I'd wait for December 2. That is when MOUZ, Vitality and FURIA play their first matches, each against a team that has already won at least 3 matches in Singapore.
