EPT
Official post:
GSL, which began in 2010, has now reached its 17th year with all of you. We would like to express our deepest gratitude to the fans who have supported StarCraft II and GSL for such a long time.
In 2026, GSL aims to continue its operations based on the precious support of our fans and the partnership between Blizzard and SOOP. We are announcing major changes decided upon to preserve the GSL stage amidst a changing environment and to create a "sustainable league".
■ Changes in 2026 GSL Operations: "A Sustainable League Created Together"
The primary goal of GSL this season is the survival and stable operation of the league. To achieve this, we have reorganized the crowdfunding system to flexibly use the gathered funds not only for player prize pools but also for improving league operations and production environments.
Fan support is the strong foundation that sustains GSL. We ask for your generous understanding of these realistic choices made to ensure the league can continue without interruption in 2026.
■ Key Changes
- Hybrid Online/Offline Format: While the Round of 12 and Round of 8 will move online, our GSL broadcasting team, Tasteless and State, will remain with you just as they always have
- Offline Semifinals and Finals: The highlights of the tournament, the semifinals and finals, will be held offline at the FreecUP Studio as before. Both Korean and global broadcasting teams will be present to maintain the immersive GSL experience.
- Next Season Commitment: Beyond the current Seasons 1 and 2, your support will directly lead to the hosting of future seasons and expanded prize pools depending on the scale of crowdfunding.
■ 2026 GSL Crowdfunding Goals & Pledges
$6,000/Month: GSL CK (Twice a month) (Two GSL CK matches will be hosted every month the $6,000 goal is maintained from May to November)
$10,000/Month: GSL S3 Kick-off (GSL Season 3 will be hosted provided this amount is maintained monthly from May to November)
$15,000/Month: GSL S3 Expansion (+ Prize Pool Increase + Ro.16 + 7 Days) (The season will be expanded provided this amount is maintained monthly from May to November)
Details regarding the changed 2026 GSL crowdfunding can be found at the link below:
[Detailed Guide to 2026 GSL Crowdfunding]
![[image loading]](/staff/Waxangel/GSL/2026/2026calendar.png)
- 2026 GSL Season 1: April 29 (Wed) – May 17 (Sun), 6:30 PM / Finals at 5:00 PM
- 2026 GSL Season 2: May 20 (Wed) – June 7 (Sun), 6:30 PM / Finals at 5:00 PM
![[image loading]](/staff/Waxangel/GSL/2026/2026prize.png)
■ GSL Tour Format
The 2026 GSL will feature 12 players. The top 4 players from the GSL S1,2 qualifiers will advance directly to the Season 1,2 Round of 8. The Round of 12 and Round of 8 will be online, while the semifinals and finals will be held offline at FreecUP Studio.
■ Support for GSL CK and Pro-gamer Personal Broadcasts
To meet fan needs for StarCraft II content beyond GSL, we will support and run the following:
GSL CK: An online team battle tournament featuring GSL players, held when crowdfunding goals are met. This will be content brought to you during the GSL off-season. Its scale will also expand based on the crowdfunding amount.
Pro-gamer Personal Broadcasts: SOOP aims to grow alongside GSL and StarCraft II pro-gamers. We will actively support players' personal broadcasts by hosting Drops events and securing broadcast rights for international tournaments (RSL, KungFu Cup, etc.). Notably, we will provide an environment where fans can enjoy live streams of StarCraft II players with simultaneous translation subtitles (CC), allowing our global audience to engage more closely with the players as we revitalize the StarCraft II category on the SOOP platform.
■ 2026 GSL Crowdfunding
Crowdfunding makes up a large part of GSL. We sincerely thank the fans who consistently supported GSL even when there were no announcements, as that strength allowed us to prepare for the 2026 GSL. Special gifts for long-term subscribers will be provided and announced at a later date.
This year, we have significantly improved crowdfunding benefits:
SOOP : Changed from the previous "Star Balloon" donations to a subscription-based support model. We have strengthened benefits like GSL-exclusive personacons and emoticons, early access to unreleased content, and background tours for long-term subscribers.
Patreon : Reorganized membership tiers and subdivided benefits for each. (Note: Patreon subscriptions do not include SOOP Live-specific content like personacons or live emoticons) .
These are the plans for the 2026 GSL Tour.
We are happy to be with you again this year. Thank you for always loving GSL and StarCraft II.
Please give your interest and support to GSL 2026.
