IEM Cologne Becomes a Major Again in 2026 — 10 Years Later

Just days before the IEM Cologne 2025 playoffs began, ESL sparked excitement with a teaser: a major announcement was coming on the final day. The rumors turned out to be true — next year, IEM Cologne will officially be a Major. The tournament will take place at the legendary Lanxess Arena from June 18 to 21, 2026. This isn't just the return of a tournament — it's the return of an era-defining symbol, now with the status it has awaited for a decade.

Cologne previously held Major status during the golden years of CS:GO — in 2014, 2015, and 2016. At the time, ESL was Valve’s primary partner, hosting 5 of the first 9 Majors. But after that, the relationship cooled significantly. Since 2017, ESL has only hosted two Valve-sanctioned Majors: IEM Katowice 2019 and IEM Rio 2022. Instead, the company shifted focus to building its own ecosystem — with Cologne becoming a flagship tournament, alongside Katowice and the franchised ESL Pro League.

That shift led to friction with Valve. The developers opposed closed circuits and long-term partner team deals. The turning point came after the Paris Major in 2023, when Valve held meetings with ESL and BLAST and later introduced new rules: starting in 2025, no tournament organizer would be allowed to restrict access to its events for “non-partner” teams.

According to Richard Lewis, ESL explored compromises — considering a new format that would formally comply with Valve’s requirements while maintaining control over team slots. Ultimately, however, ESL conceded to the new system — and that may have been the key to regaining Valve’s trust. The summer Major in Cologne isn’t just a gesture of goodwill — it’s a signal: ESL is once again one of Valve’s main partners.

The announcement also made logistical sense. Back in December 2024, ESL had revealed its 2026 schedule, listing six major events, including EPL 23 and four IEM stops in Krakow, Brazil, the U.S., and China. One tournament remained unnamed — scheduled for summer, in a slot between June 8 and 21. The Major dates, Cologne as the host, and the open calendar window all pointed to the same conclusion. And now, it’s official.

It’s important to see this move as both progress and compromise. For years, Cologne was considered the “third” most important event in the CS calendar, trailing only the two Valve Majors. Now, it’s finally getting the prestige it long deserved. But there’s a trade-off: fans used to enjoy both a Valve Major and a top-tier ESL event during the summer. Now, they’re one and the same. In effect, the calendar loses one elite-level tournament — with no clear replacement.

After the summer Major, there will be a break, followed by a stretch of smaller events — FISSURE Playground, BLAST Bounty Summer, PGL Summer with a $625,000 prize pool, and EWC 2026. None of these currently carry the same weight or history. The only hope is that EWC once again stuns the scene with a massive prize pool and earns legitimacy as a true top-tier alternative. But that’s a different story.

Why the CS2 Community Loves IEM Cologne

For now — welcome back to Cologne. The city where legends are born is once again the home of the year’s biggest tournament. Ten years later.