ESL reveals Counter-Strike event dates for 2026

The Counter-Strike 2 community has a lot to see and discover in 2026. 2025 hasn’t even kicked off yet, but ESL is already one step ahead of the game and have revealed the event calendar for ESL’s Counter-Strike tournaments in 2026, packed with major events throughout the year.

Event Calendar Summary

The news starts after the announcement of the ESL calendar for the teams. In 2026, there will be six major tournaments spread throughout the competitive year. These changes are made in compliance with Valve’s new tournament rule requirements for events.

What can players expect at these competitions? The ESL FACEIT group will combine extensive tournaments with shorter competitive events. In the first quarter there will be two main events.

After that, several week-long competitions will be organized to keep up the enthusiasm of the Counter-Strike 2 community. Here is an overview of the tournaments scheduled for ESL Counter-Strike 2026:

• January 27 – February 8, 2026 (13-day event)
• February 23 – March 15, 2026. (21-day event)
• April 12 – 19, 2026 (one-week event)
• May 10 – 17, 2026 (one-week event)
• September 21 – October 11, 2026 (21-day event)
• November 1 – 8, 2026 (one-week event)

So far, ESL has only confirmed the dates, while details remain under wraps. What can be anticipated in the coming months is the missing information, including event locations, tournament formats, prizes, teams and rankings, as well as event names.

ESL on Valve’s new tournament guidelines.

Why are they announcing these dates so soon? Valve recently implemented a tournament regulation that requires organizers to announce their events in advance. According to the new regulation, 2026 events must be published before January 1, 2025.. In addition, events planned for 2027 will require two years’ notice.

This announcement by ESL is their way of complying with this new policy to ensure that tournaments run smoothly. With this system in place, teams will be able to better plan their schedules and properly prepare for competitions.

Building on the foundations of 2025

Before the community dives headfirst into the 2026 calendar, they will first witness incredible competition in 2025. In addition to the calendar announcement, ESL FACEIT Group has shared its commitment to invest in improving competition in Counter-Strike 2.

They have pledged a total of $22 million for the combined 2025 and 2026 seasons.. This amount is intended to foster the growth and sustainability of the Counter-Strike 2 professional esports scene. This year alone, Counter-Strike 2 ranks second in total prize money accumulated among competitive video game titles.

In addition, the 2026 calendar will build on the competitive structure that will be developed in 2025. Therefore, it will feature several prestigious ESL Pro Tour events, such as:

• IEM Katowice
• IEM Cologne
• ESL Pro League Seasons 21 and 22
• IEM Dallas
• EMI Chengdu
• IEM Spring

What about the competitive landscape?

Teams can now better plan their strategies for upcoming tournaments, especially for 2026. This new regulation allows organizations to consider players’ schedules and the intensity of the competitions when planning. Depending on the schedule, there will be longer tournaments and shorter one-week events.

The longer tournaments are usually to host major competitions, while the shorter events will focus on specialized formats. This approach will help players avoid burnout caused by too much competitive play.