StarLadder & Stake Launch Stake Ranked
StarLadder has teamed up with betting giant Stake to launch Stake Ranked, a premium Tier-2 Counter-Strike 2 circuit targeting Europe’s rising squads with six LAN finals throughout 2026 each boasting a $100,000 prize pool.
The series emphasizes professional LAN production for mid tier teams, filling a gap in the CS2 calendar with double elimination brackets and Valve Regional Standings (VRS) driven invites.
Strategic Kickoff Dates
StarLadder slotted the opener perfectly, Stake Ranked Ep. 1 runs April 1-4 in a European Schengen capital, just before IEM Cologne Major invites lock. Ep. 2 follows May 27-30.
Remaining four events TBA, all LAN finals with online qualifiers on FACEIT.
VRS Powered Road To Victory
Each event features an 8 team LAN final:
- 6 direct invites: Top Global VRS from 13th place onward (Feb 12 VRS for Ep. 1).
- 2 from closed qualifiers: 16 team bracket (14 VRS invites + 2 open qual winners).
Qualifier Timeline (Ep. 1):
- Open: Feb 21-22 (Single Elim Bo1/Bo3, EU servers).
- Closed: March 4-8 (Single Elim Bo3).
Strict integrity rules, Valve compliance required, no ESIC-banned teams/players, slots reallocated via VRS on declines/withdrawals.
$100K Prize Pool Breakdown
Here’s the prize pool breakdown from the Stake Ranked CS2 circuit:
- 1st place: $25,000
- 2nd place: $17,500
- 3rd place: $13,500
- 4th place: $11,000
- 5th–6th place: $9,000 each
- 7th–8th place: $7,000 each
StarLadder’s LAN Legacy
“Our legacy is in LAN events production. We see that Tier 2 events are often not treated properly… we are here to fix that together with Stake.” Roman Romantsov, StarLadder Founder
Fresh off the 2025 Budapest Major triumph, StarLadder partnered with Esports Charts for analytics eyes Tier-2 dominance amid Stake’s CS2 push (Vitality sponsor, ESIC ally).
This circuit could propel VRS climbers toward Major contention, injecting fresh rivalries into CS2’s packed 2026 slate.
Since: October 29, 2025
