radoslaw-davidovic
When is the next CS2 tournament? What is the most anticipated event during the year? If you are looking for the answers, then you are in the right place. Here, we explore a schedule for all esports events in 2026, so you can find the exact dates for any tournament you are ready to follow. Of course, our guide includes not only the time of each event but also the prize pool, which can help users find the most exciting upcoming CS2 events. Without further ado, let’s dive in and find out what we can already watch!
In article you will find:
Winter Tournaments
The CS2 tournament schedule in 2026 includes a number of events per season. As always, the winter tournaments open the year with only a few events, which might not look so exciting.
| Tournament | Dates | Location | Prize pool |
| BLAST Bounty Winter 2026 | January 22 – February 25 | Attard, Malta | $452,500 |
| IEM Krakow 2026 | January 28 – February 8 | Krakow, Poland | $1,000,000 |
| PGL Cluj-Napoca 2026 | February 14 – 22 | Cluj-Napoca, Romania | $625,000 |
| ESL Pro League S23 | March 13 – 15 | Stockholm, Sweden | $275,000 |
Spring Tournaments
Spring brings more variety to the competitive scene, with many locations and dates to choose from. It might make sense, since the professional teams have already adapted to a new season and gameplay updates and are ready to fight. Here, you can check all the tournaments at once.
| Tournament | Dates | Location | Prize pool |
| BLAST Open Spring 2026 | March 18 – 29 | Rotterdam, Netherlands | $400,000 |
| PGL Bucharest 2026 | April 3 – 11 | Bucharest, Romania | $625,000 |
| IEM Rio 2026 | April 13 – 19 | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | $300,000 |
| BLAST Rivals Spring 2026 | April 29 – May 3 | Fort Worth, USA | $350,000 |
| PGL Astana 2026 | May 7 – 17 | Astana, Kazakhstan | $800,000 |
| IEM Atlanta 2026 | May 11 – 17 | Atlanta, USA | $300,000 |
| CS Asia Championships 2026 | May 19 – 24 | Shanghai, China | $400,000 |
Summer Tournaments
The summer is the season that includes one of the most exciting events in the CS2 esports world: IEM Cologne Major 2026. No wonder the hot season will have fewer tournaments since the main attention is on the first major of the year. Still, there is the Esports World Cup 2026 with a $2,000,000 prize pool, which can compete with the major without a doubt.
| Tournament | Dates | Location | Prize pool |
| IEM Cologne Major 2026 | June 2 – 21 | Cologne, Germany | $1,250,000 |
| BLAST Bounty Summer 2026 | July 30 – August 2 | Attard, Malta | TBA |
| Esports World Cup 2026 | August 12 – 23 | Riyadh, Saudi Arabia | $2,000,000 |
| BLAST Open Fall 2026 | August 26 – September 6 | TBD, Europe | $400,000 |
Autumn Tournaments
No less exciting to follow are the tournaments in the second half of 2026. Similar to Spring, Autumn will bring a number of events. Moreover, there is no time to rest, not for viewers, not for participants. The reason lies in the second major, which will be in late November to early December. With thirty-two teams, there will be only one winner at the end of 2026. Are you excited to find out who it will be? The only way to know is to watch it from November 25 to December 13!
| Tournament | Dates | Location | Prize pool |
| FISSURE Playground 5 | September 7 – 13 | Shenzhen, China | $450,000 |
| StarLadder StarSeries Fall 2026 | September 17 – 20 | TBA, Europe | $250,000 |
| ESL Pro League Season 24 | October 3 – 11 | Katowice, Poland | $300,000 |
| Eden Esports Forge of Legends 2026 | October 13 – 18 | TBA, Europe | $500,000 |
| Thunderpick World Championship 2026 | October 14 – 18 | Malta | $500,000 |
| PGL Masters Bucharest 2026 | October 24 – 31 | Bucharest, Romania | $625,000 |
| IEM China 2026 | November 2 – 8 | China | $300,000 |
| BLAST Rivals Fall 2026 | November 11 – 15 | Chek Lap Kok, Hong Kong | $350,000 |
| PGL Major Singapore 2026 | November 25 – December 13 | Kallang, Singapore | $1,250,000 |
Most significant events of 2026
Of course, the most exciting part is the CS2 major schedule. It includes the IEM Cologne Major 2026 in June and the PGL Major Singapore 2026 in late November to early December. These prestigious, Valve-sponsored CS2 tournaments are the game’s ultimate championship. Such esports events define team legacies. No less important is to mention the massive prize pools and exclusive, memorable in-game stickers that immortalize players.
And winning the major tournament is definitely the top goal for any professional player. You can secure a few Tier-1 events, but it’s still not the same. The pace and the pressure on Major are totally different. Not to mention, but viewership sometimes exceeds 2.7 million concurrent viewers. In the end, everyone will still talk about the Major winners even years later. If you don’t want to miss them, it’s definitely worth checking the CS2 major dates in our guide.
Still, we should mention other significant events in the CS2 tournament schedule. One of them is undoubtedly the Esports World Cup 2026. With a $2,000,000 prize pool and 32 participating teams, it will be the thunderous CS2 tournament in August 2026. The next noticeable CS2 tournament is IEM Krakow 2026, which replaced Katowice as the first one-million-dollar event of the year. The last noticeable events in the CS2 tournament schedule are CS Asia Championships 2026 and BLAST Rivals Fall 2026, since they are right before the major tournaments.
To Sum Up
As you can see, the CS2 tournament schedule for 2026 is full of notable events. And, as always, every next CS2 tournament can be more eye-catching and full of comebacks and significant moments than previous events. At the same time, CS2 major dates have the most attention due to their prestige. Regardless of which tournament is more exciting for you, remember to check all upcoming CS2 events to be sure not to miss the one you need.
For more guides, insights, tips, and best skins, you can check the Hellcase Blog. Here, you will find everything you need to know about the CS2 world. Explore the game and play together with Hellcase!
Radosław Davidović is Hellcase’s customer success manager. He enjoys blogging to share his knowledge and experience with customers.
