PGL TOUCHES DOWN IN ULAANBAATAR IN APRIL 2027

PGL is hosting a Tier 1 Counter-Strike 2 event in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, from 15 to 25 April 2027. LAN action with the world’s top teams on one stage, with USD 1,000,000 in prize winnings, plus a piece of the USD 300,000 VRS Invite Bonus. The Mongolian capital is about to become the center of the CS2 world.

With an incredibly passionate fanbase, Mongolia is set to become the next landmark destination in PGL’s mission to bring world-class competition to fans across the globe.

“Ulaanbaatar is ready to position itself as a major destination for international esports events. Hosting PGL Ulaanbaatar 2027 is an important milestone in our ambition to put Mongolia on the global esports map, attract world-class competitions, and create new opportunities for our young generation. We believe this event will strengthen Ulaanbaatar’s reputation as a dynamic, globally connected city and a growing hub for esports and digital culture,” says B. Purevdagva, Governor of the Capital City and Mayor of Ulaanbaatar.

The Tournament takes place in the Mongolia visa region.

The visa region has been updated from China to Mongolia, in coordination with Valve. All other details remain unchanged.

Since 2025, every PGL main event has been played entirely on LAN, and PGL’s April 2027 event in Ulaanbaatar will proudly carry that tradition forward.

The Open and Closed Qualifiers will run online in the weeks leading up to the show.

Prize Pool

The April 2027 event features USD 1,000,000 in prize money, distributed across team winnings and club share:

VRS Invite Bonus

The VRS Invite Bonus is a dedicated $300,000 incentive pool distributed to teams based on the Valve Regional Standings (VRS).

The Top 5 teams in the VRS ranking that accept their tournament invite will each receive a $60,000 bonus.

If a team does not accept, the bonus will be offered to the next eligible team in line, according to the VRS ranking, continuing down the list until the Top 14 VRS teams.

If less than $200,000 of the VRS Invite Bonus is distributed for the event, the remaining amount will be added to the Annual Viewership Incentive pool.

Annual Viewership Incentive

The Annual Viewership Incentive is a USD 2,800,000 yearly pool distributed to the Top 16 teams that generate the highest average concurrent viewership (CCV) across PGL’s CS2 Tier 1 tournaments in 2027.

Points System. Points are awarded at each event to the Top 12 teams by viewership:

• Top 1-4 CCV: 8 points
• Top 5-8 CCV: 4 points
• Top 9-12 CCV: 2 points

Viewership Calculation: Viewership is calculated based on the average concurrent viewership (CCV) a team generates throughout the entire tournament.

Eligibility. All teams that participate in PGL CS2 events are automatically eligible. If a team becomes ineligible, the next team in line will replace them in the rankings.

Multiplier: The total points earned by a team are multiplied by the number of PGL CS2 Tier 1 events the team has attended in 2027.

Illustrative Formula: Total Points x Number of Tournaments Attended.

The Road to Ulaanbaatar

Main Event, 16 teams, LAN

Direct invites for 14 teams will be issued on 4 January 2027, based on the Global VRS ranking published on that date, starting from #1. Seeding will be based on the VRS ranking published on 5 April 2027.

EU Open Qualifier, 27-30 January 2027 (Online)

• Registration: first-come, first-served.
• Check-in opens 1 hour before the start time.
• Format: Single Elimination.
• Matches: BO1, with BO3 from the Quarterfinals onwards.
• 2 teams advance to the Closed Qualifier.

EU Closed Qualifier, 1-4 February 2027 (Online)

• 8 teams total: 6 directly invited from the Europe VRS (starting from the highest-ranked team that has not yet received an invitation), and 2 qualified from the Open Qualifier.
• Format: Double Elimination.
• Matches: BO3.
• 1 team advances to the Main Event.

Asia Open Qualifiers, 27-30 January 2027 (Online)

• Registration: first-come, first-served.
• Check-in opens 1 hour before the start time.
• Format: Single Elimination.
• Matches: BO1, with BO3 from the Quarterfinals onwards.
• 2 teams per sub-region advance to the Closed Qualifier.
• Rosters must have a plurality of citizenships from the relevant sub-region (among the players from the region).

Asia Closed Qualifier per sub-region (OCE / West / East), 1-4 February 2027 (Online)

Sub-Regional Closed Qualifiers:

• Total teams: 4 (2 qualified from the Open Qualifier, 2 directly invited from the Asia VRS).
• Format: Double Elimination.
• Matches: BO3.
• 1 team advances to the Asia Final.

Asia Final (Online)

• Total teams: 3 (one from each sub-regional Closed Qualifier).
• Seeding based on VRS.
• Match 1: #2 vs #3, BO3.
• Match 2: Winner of Match 1 vs #1, BO5.
• 1 team advances to the Main Event.

Integrity and Conduct

Teams and players should not have any financial interest in the success of any team that they are competing against. To participate in these tournaments, players and teams must affirm that they have no conflicts of interest (including any business entanglements such as shared management, shared ownership of entities, licensing, or loans) with any other participating team or its players.

Tournament Operator and Tournament staff may not have any business relationship, including, but not limited to, shared management, shared ownership of entities, licensing, and loans, whether related to Valve Games or otherwise (each an “Entanglement”) with any Participant unless approved by Valve and publicly disclosed. An Entanglement is considered approved if (a) it is disclosed to Valve in writing, (b) publicly disclosed, and (c) Valve has not objected to within 90 days of the disclosure to Valve; provided that only disclosures after the Effective Date of the Agreement shall trigger the 90-day period. Within its sole discretion, Valve reserves the right to:

a) require that the Tournament Operator address and remove the Entanglement within a reasonable period of time, not to exceed two weeks, or
b) terminate the Agreement without cost or penalty for Valve.

An explicit or implicit approval by Valve shall be valid for one year from the date Valve receives the disclosure, unless explicitly otherwise scoped by Valve at the time of granting the approval. The approval period shall thereafter auto-renew by the same time it was initially granted until terminated.

Any team or player found to be involved in any of the following will be subject to disqualification and removal from the tournament:

• The use of cheats, hacks, or any third-party software that provides an unfair advantage is strictly prohibited.
• Participation in or attempted manipulation of match outcomes for personal or third-party gain.

If a team does not respond to the tournament invitation within the specified deadline, the invitation will be considered declined. The slot will then be offered to the next eligible team based on the VRS list.

Only one team per organization is allowed to participate in the tournament. If an organization has more than one team and they have accepted an invitation to the Main Event or the Closed Qualifiers, then any other roster from the same organization is not eligible to participate in any stage.

Teams must submit their full tournament roster, including a minimum of five players, one coach, and substitutes, by the deadline provided. Failure to do so will result in the team forfeiting their tournament slot unless the deadline is officially extended for all participating teams.

If a player or players are banned by Valve and the team no longer meets the eligibility criteria in Roster Eligibility, the team may lose the Direct VRS Invite.

Visa deadlines. If a team accepts a direct invite but is subsequently unable to participate due to missing the visa deadline, the invite will be offered to the next eligible team in accordance with the tournament’s team replacement rules.

Any Roster that withdraws from a PGL event, regardless of the timing of the withdrawal or the surrounding circumstances, is subject to a disqualification from receiving a Direct VRS Invite to the subsequent PGL event.