ESL has announced that will return to KatowicePoland in 2026 to host a Counter-Strike 2 (CS2) event. The announcement follows the tournament organizer’s decision to move its prestigious IEM Katowice event from the city to Krakow, Poland, next year.
Announced on social media, the post reveals that Counter-Strike will return to Katowice and, more importantly, to Spodek Arena in 2026. ESL has not yet revealed any details about which of its events will take place in Katowice.
The tournament organizer has already shared information about its CS2 schedule for 2026. In June it was revealed that the Intel Extreme Masters (IEM) tournament circuit will be held in Brazil, the United States, China and Krakow.
Aside from IEM, ESL has not revealed details about an event that will take place in late September and ESL Pro League season 23. In an earlier statement, it revealed that Season 23 will be held “in front of a live audience at a venue in Europe.” The Spodek Arena could be the venue in question.
Katowice is no stranger to the Counter-Strike eSports world, having hosted an IEM event at Spodek Arena since 2013. In May it was announced that. Krakow would be the new venue for Europe’s IEM event.whose inaugural edition will take place from January 27 to February 8, 2026.



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