Esports match organiser ESL has unveiled the dates for the seven occasions forming the 2026 ESL Professional Tour calendar.
The upcoming Tier 1 and Wildcard occasions for the long-standing Counter-Strike 2 esports circuit will happen throughout Europe, China and the Americas.
Revealed on December seventeenth, 2025, the 2026 ESL Professional Tour season begins in late January with IEM Kraków. From January twenty eighth to February eighth, 24 groups will compete for a share of a $1m (~£749,950) prize pool.
From March 1st to fifteenth, ESL Professional League Season 23 takes place in Sweden. Between March thirteenth and fifteenth, the occasion heads to Stockholm’s Annexet, enabling followers to look at the remaining groups competing for the $275,000 (~£206,238) prize pool and the prospect to win one in every of Counter-Strike’s longest-standing tournaments.
In April and Might, the ESL Professional Tour heads to the Americas with IEM Rio operating from April thirteenth to nineteenth, and IEM Atlanta from Might fifteenth to seventeenth. IEM Rio is the primary time ESL has hosted an occasion in Brazil since 2024, whereas IEM Atlanta kinds a part of DreamHack Atlanta, a multi-title esports and gaming competition.
From June 2nd to twenty first, the IEM Cologne Main will spherical off the primary half of the 2026 season. The highest 32 groups from the Valve Regional Standings (VRS) will compete for a $1.25m (~£937,212) prize pool together with the prospect to etch their names in Counter-Strike historical past.
The second half of the ESL Professional Tour calendar consists of two occasions. ESL Professional League Season 24 heads to Katowice, Poland, from October third to eleventh, whereas IEM China rounds off the 12 months from November 2nd to eighth. The placement of IEM China has but to be revealed.
ESL’s Counter-Strike Dedication
ESL’s packed Professional Tour calendar continues to reveal its dedication to internet hosting world-class Counter-Strike 2 occasions internationally.
The match organiser is already waiting for 2028. In October, it revealed the 2028 Professional Tour calendar, consisting of six occasions operating from January to October.
