Some of the biggest names in Counter-Strike – Spirit, G2, NAVI, and Vitality – have opted out of PGL Cluj-Napoca 2025, leaving the $1.25 million tournament wide open for fresh challengers.

This became known when the full team list was revealed today, confirming the absence of these top contenders.

Among the teams attending, only The Mongolz and FaZe rank inside Valve’s top five, while notable names like Falcons, MOUZ, and Astralis round out the field.

Schedule and format

Set to run from February 14th to 23rd, the Romanian tournament will take place just days after IEM Katowice concludes, and will feature 16 teams.

The competition follows a Swiss system format for the group stage, where all matches are best-of-three. From this stage, the top eight teams will progress to the playoffs, which will be played in BTarena in Cluj-Napoca.

With Liquid and GamerLegion also skipping PGL Cluj-Napoca, six additional teams outside Valve’s Top 16 rankings have been invited, offering them a golden opportunity to collect important VRS points ahead of the Major.

Attending teams