Silviu Stroie, CEO of PGL, has publicly accused rival organizers BLAST and ESL of coordinating efforts to undermine his event series. He claims PGL set its 2025–2026 tournament dates as early as March 2024, but BLAST and ESL countered in October 2024—strategically scheduling events near PGL’s and pressuring teams to decide between the two.
ESL rebutted the allegations, stating they announced dates in early March 2024 and do not coerce teams into withdrawing from PGL. They did, however, highlight logistical conflicts; for instance, teams can’t feasibly play in Bucharest one day and China the next.
ESL further warned that teams who accept invitations and then withdraw could be banned from future events, such as IEM Krakow.
ESL and BLAST had long held a near-monopoly on Tier‑1 Counter‑Strike competitions, pushing out rivals like PGL and Starladder through exclusive contracts with top teams. But Valve’s VRS policy reforms tore down that dominance, allowing PGL and others to return—and increasing pressure on an already saturated tournament landscape
