StarLadder is back with their first event since the StarLadder Major in Budapest 2025. In September, they will host a $500,000 tournament in Europe. The location is still undisclosed, but it will be in the Schengen zone in Europe.
StarSeries Season 20
Organizer: StarLadder
Dates: September 16 to September 20, 2026
Location: Schengen zone (Offline)
Prize pool: $500,000 total player and club share combined
Tier: S-Tier
Participating teams
The eight-team lineup consists of four global invites based on the Valve Regional Standings from July 6, 2026, along with four slots reserved for regional qualifier winners.
The projected list of directly invited teams via the global rankings includes:
- Spirit
- Falcons
- Vitality
- Natus Vincere
The remaining spots will be filled by the closed qualifiers:
- 2x European qualifier winners
- 1x North American qualifier winner
- 1x South American qualifier winner
Tournament format
Closed qualifiers (July 22 to August 2, 2026):
- Europe: 16 teams compete in GSL groups and a play-in stage.
- North America: 8 teams compete in a double elimination bracket.
- South America: 8 teams compete in a double elimination bracket.
Main event (September 16 to 20, 2026):
- Format: Double elimination bracket.
- Match length: All matches are Best-of-3.
- Media day: September 16, 2026.
- Seeding: Bracket seeding relies on the September 7, 2026 Valve Regional Standings update.
Prize distribution
- 1st place: $100,000 player share and $100,000 club share
- 2nd place: $65,000 player share and $65,000 club share
- 3rd place: $35,000 player share and $35,000 club share
- 4th place: $20,000 player share and $20,000 club share
- 5th to 6th place: $10,000 player share and $10,000 club share
- 7th to 8th place: $5,000 player share and $5,000 club share
Schedule and results
Matches and brackets will be updated as the closed qualifiers conclude and the main event approaches.
Closed qualifiers:
- Europe: July 22 to 26
- North America: July 28 to August 2
- South America: July 28 to August 2
Main event:
- Media day: September 16
- Tournament matches: September 17 to 20
