Esports tournament organiser ESL has unveiled the dates for the seven events forming the 2026 ESL Pro Tour calendar.
The upcoming Tier 1 and Wildcard events for the long-standing Counter-Strike 2 esports circuit will take place across Europe, China and the Americas.
Revealed on December 17th, 2025, the 2026 ESL Pro Tour season begins in late January with IEM Kraków. From January 28th to February 8th, 24 teams will compete for a share of a $1m (~£749,950) prize pool.
From March 1st to 15th, ESL Pro League Season 23 takes place in Sweden. Between March 13th and 15th, the event heads to Stockholm’s Annexet, enabling fans to watch the remaining teams competing for the $275,000 (~£206,238) prize pool and the chance to win one of Counter-Strike’s longest-standing tournaments.
In April and May, the ESL Pro Tour heads to the Americas with IEM Rio running from April 13th to 19th, and IEM Atlanta from May 15th to 17th. IEM Rio is the first time ESL has hosted an event in Brazil since 2024, while IEM Atlanta forms part of DreamHack Atlanta, a multi-title esports and gaming festival.
From June 2nd to 21st, the IEM Cologne Major will round off the first half of the 2026 season. The top 32 teams from the Valve Regional Standings (VRS) will compete for a $1.25m (~£937,212) prize pool along with the chance to etch their names in Counter-Strike history.
The second half of the ESL Pro Tour calendar consists of two events. ESL Pro League Season 24 heads to Katowice, Poland, from October 3rd to 11th, while IEM China rounds off the year from November 2nd to 8th. The location of IEM China has yet to be revealed.
ESL’s Counter-Strike Commitment
ESL’s packed Pro Tour calendar continues to demonstrate its commitment to hosting world-class Counter-Strike 2 events across the world.
The tournament organiser is already looking ahead to 2028. In October, it revealed the 2028 Pro Tour calendar, consisting of six events running from January to October.
