ESL has confirmed a new ESL Pro Tour calendar for Counter-Strike 2 in 2026, featuring seven events in total, and all are classified as top-tier tournaments within its ecosystem.
These events span six countries and four continents, combining IEM championships with two ESL Pro League seasons and a CS2 Major. The structure ties into the broader Pro Tour ranking system, where teams earn points and qualify through a mix of regional and global qualifiers across the season.
Here’s everything you need to know about the ESL Pro Tour CS2 events in 2026.
ESL Pro Tour CS2 2026 event list
The table below has the full list of ESL Pro Tour CS2 events in 2026:
| Event | Dates | Venue and Location | Teams | Total Prize Pool |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| IEM Kraków 2026 | Jan. 28 to Feb. 8 | Tauron Arena, Kraków, Poland | 24 | $1,250,000 |
| ESL Pro League Season 23 | March 13 to 15 (tournament starts on Mar 1) | Online and Annexet, Stockholm | 24 | $1,000,000 |
| IEM Rio 2026 | April 13 to 19 | Farmasi Arena, Rio de Janeiro | 16 | $1,000,000 |
| IEM Atlanta 2026 | May 11 to 17 | Georgia World Congress Center, Georgia, USA | 16 | $1,000,000 |
| IEM Cologne Major 2026 | June 2 to 21 | Lanxess Arena, Cologne, Germany | 32 | $1,250,000 |
| ESL Pro League Season 24 | Sept. 24 to Oct. 11 | Spodek Arena, Katowice | 16 | $1,000,000 |
| IEM China 2026 | Nov. 2 to 8 | China (city to be announced) | 16 | $1,000,000 |
IEM Kraków 2026 is the opening EPT Championship event of the CS2 calendar and replaces Katowice as ESL’s early-year European arena stop. The tournament will run from Jan. 28 to Feb. 8 2026, at TAURON Arena Kraków, featuring 24 teams battling for a $1,250,000 prize pool.
ESL Pro League Season 23 is the first EPL season on the 2026 Pro Tour and it will be hosted in Sweden. The season follows a streamlined format compared to earlier years, feeding EPT points and seeding into subsequent IEM stops.
IEM Rio 2026 brings the Pro Tour back to Brazil, one of ESL’s flagship CS2 markets, and is confirmed as one of the seven core EPT events for the year. IEM Rio runs from April 13 to 19 in Rio de Janeiro featuring 16 teams a $1,000,000 prize pool. The event offers both regional and global qualifiers, giving Brazilian and wider South American teams additional paths to a big‑stage LAN.
IEM Atlanta 2026 is ESL’s main North American Pro Tour stop for CS2 in 2026. The tournament will take place from May 11 to 17, 2026, at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta, with 16 teams competing for $1,000,000. As with other 2026 IEM events, teams qualify through a mix of regional EPT qualifiers and a global decider stage.
IEM Cologne Major 2026 is the flagship event of the ESL Pro Tour and the first IEM-branded Major in Cologne. It will run from June 2 to June 21 at LANXESS arena, features 32 teams, and offers a $1,250,000 prize pool under Valve’s CS2 Major Championship tier. It also counts towards ESL Grand Slam VI, making it a crucial stop for top international rosters.
ESL Pro League Season 24 is the second EPL season tied to the 2026 Pro Tour, with playoffs returning to the Spodek Arena in Katowice, Poland. Season 24 will run from Sept. 24 to Oct. 11, 2026, with a $1,000,000 prize pool and a live‑audience finals weekend in Katowice.
IEM China 2026 closes out the ESL Pro Tour CS2 season as the final IEM Masters event on the calendar. It’s scheduled for Nov. 2 to 8, 2026, in China, hosting 16 teams on LAN and a $1,000,000 prize pool. While the city is yet to be decided, it continues ESL’s expansion of top‑tier Counter‑Strike into Asia. Like Rio and Atlanta, it relies on combined regional and global qualifiers that feed into the main event from multiple continents.
