The IEM Cologne Major became the most-watched Counter-Strike tournament of 2026, attracting more than 2.75 million concurrent viewers and setting a new audience record for the discipline.
As Cybersport In reports, citing Esports Charts, the 2026 season has already produced several record-breaking events, while the race to qualify for the PGL Major Singapore remains one of the main storylines of the final months of the year.
The IEM Cologne Major topped the ranking after Team Falcons secured the championship. The victory gave Nikola «NiKo» Kovač the Major title that had eluded him throughout his career, while Ilya «m0NESY» Osipov received the tournament’s MVP award.
IEM Kraków 2026 took second place among the year’s largest events. The tournament peaked at more than 1.38 million viewers, setting a new record for a non-Major Counter-Strike competition. The final between Team Vitality and FURIA brought together two major regional audiences, while Mathieu «ZywOo» Herbaut delivered one of his strongest performances of the season.
PGL Astana 2026 also crossed the one-million-viewer mark. The event reached more than 1.16 million concurrent viewers and became the most-watched esports tournament ever held in Kazakhstan. It was also PGL’s most popular non-Major Counter-Strike event.
IEM Rio recorded approximately 1.13 million peak viewers. Team Vitality completed its ESL Grand Slam run at the tournament, adding another major trophy to an already successful 2026 campaign.
The Counter-Strike competition at the Esports World Cup 2026 also entered the year’s top five. Team Spirit won the title, FUT reached the grand final, and Legacy finished third after one of the tournament’s most surprising runs.
Attention within the Counter-Strike esports scene is now shifting towards the Singapore Major. Teams have until November 2 to improve their Valve Regional Standings and secure invitations to the final CS2 Major of the year.
Several major international tournaments will influence the qualification race. StarLadder StarSeries runs from September 17 to 20, followed by ESL Pro League on October 3–11 and PGL Masters Bucharest on October 24–31. IEM Beijing and BLAST Rivals will then provide teams with their final opportunities to test their form before the Major.
The PGL Major Singapore will take place from November 25 to December 13. A total of 32 teams will compete across three stages, with the decisive matches scheduled for the Singapore Indoor Stadium.
