Valve has officially determined where the next Counter-Strike Major tournaments will take place in 2026 and 2027. The season will open with IEM Cologne in Germany and PGL Singapore, and the following year the series will visit Argentina for the first time and return to Shanghai once again. The geography of the Majors continues to expand, emphasizing the global status of the scene.
New regions for the Majors
Major tournaments have long ceased to be only a European–North American phenomenon. In recent years, Valve has been consistently moving toward new regions, granting key events the status of global esports festivals. The decision to entrust the organization of Majors to tournament operators from different continents is not only about logistics, but also about the political weight of the scene and trust in local organizers.
In 2026, Counter-Strike will maintain a balance between tradition and expansion. Cologne remains the iconic capital of the discipline, while Singapore will become the first Major host city in Southeast Asia. In 2027, even bolder decisions come into play — Buenos Aires and Shanghai as symbols of new centers of gravity for CS.
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Organizers and locations of the Majors for 2026–2027
- IEM Cologne 2026
- PGL Singapore 2026
- FiRELEAGUE Buenos Aires 2027
- Perfect World Shanghai 2027
IEM Cologne and PGL Singapore — two different poles of 2026
IEM Cologne is traditionally perceived as the “unofficial temple of Counter-Strike.” A Major in Cologne is a guarantee of the highest level of production, arena quality, spectator atmosphere, and stability. ESL effectively cements its role as the main guardian of the classic Major format in Europe.
PGL Singapore, by contrast, symbolizes expansion. For the first time, a Major will be held in a Southeast Asian country, opening the scene to millions of new fans. This is a serious step toward a region where Counter-Strike has historically lagged behind other esports disciplines in popularity.
Buenos Aires 2027 — a historic breakthrough for South America
FiRELEAGUE will receive its first Major and immediately go down in history as the organizer of the first tournament of this level in Argentina. For South America, this is an event of epochal scale: the last time the region hosted a Major was in 2022 in Rio de Janeiro.
Buenos Aires becomes not just a new point on the CS map, but a symbol that Valve is ready to trust major events to regions that previously remained in the shadow of Europe and North America. For the local scene, this is a chance to make a breakthrough in infrastructure development and in the popularity of the game.
Perfect World Shanghai 2027 — a return to a proven model
The second Major of 2027 will once again be held under the aegis of Perfect World in Shanghai. The Chinese organizer already has experience hosting Majors, and one of its tournaments previously received high praise from the community.
For Valve, this is the safest possible decision: a large market, a strong local partner, and a proven ability to deliver large-scale events. Shanghai is effectively cemented as the Asian center of top-tier Counter-Strike tournaments.
The geography of the Majors as a mirror of the future of CS
The combination of Cologne, Singapore, Buenos Aires, and Shanghai does not look accidental. These are four different cultural and esports axes: Europe, Southeast Asia, South America, and East Asia. Valve is consistently building a global ecosystem in which the Major ceases to be a local event and transforms into a true world championship.
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Announced Major tournaments
The announced Major tournaments for 2026–2027 clearly demonstrate Valve’s strategy: combining traditional esports capitals with new regions. IEM Cologne and PGL Singapore form the foundation of the season, while FiRELEAGUE Buenos Aires and Perfect World Shanghai set the vector for the future. Counter-Strike is becoming a truly global product, where each Major is not only a tournament, but also a political statement about where the entire scene is heading.
