The IEM Cologne Major 2026 for CS2 became the most commercially successful tournament of the first half of 2026
The analytics portal Esports Charts published a commercial ranking for the first half of 2026, assessing the media value of broadcasts for sponsors. The list was topped by the IEM Cologne Major 2026 for Counter-Strike 2, which generated a record $44.89 million in advertising value.
The total media value of the top ten PC esports competitions exceeded $203 million. The bulk of premium sponsorship revenue came from the League of Legends and Counter-Strike 2 ecosystems, which accounted for eight spots on the chart.
Breakdown of commercial value among the world’s leading tournaments:
- IEM Cologne Major 2026 (CS2) — $44.89 million;
- LCK 2026 Season (League of Legends) — $35.14 million;
- LCK Cup 2026 (League of Legends) — $25.79 million;
- LEC 2026 Versus (League of Legends) — $17.68 million;
- IEM Krakow 2026 (CS2) — $16.99 million;
- LEC 2026 Spring (League of Legends) — $14.03 million;
- Valorant Masters Santiago 2026 (Valorant) — $13.18 million;
- Valorant Masters London 2026 (Valorant) — $12.69 million;
- BLAST Open Spring 2026 (CS2) — $11.77 million;
- ESL Pro League Season 23 (CS2) — $10.86 million.
Read also: Team Falcons’ CS2 roster ranked among the world’s most-watched teams in the first half of 2026
The Summer Major in Cologne took place from June 2 to 21, 2026. The European team Team Falcons claimed the championship title after defeating FURIA 3–0 in the grand final. The organization received $500,000 for first place.
Photo by Stephanie Lindgren, ESL.
