ESL releases ticket prices for IEM Cologne Major 2026 as cost raises eyebrows

ESL has released the ticket prices for the upcoming IEM Cologne Major in 2026. The tickets range from 199€ to 999€, or roughly $233 to $1170, for four-day tickets in the first wave of sales, which starts on October 13th. Wave two starts on October 22nd with slightly increased prices and wave three starts on October 29th. No pricing details have been released for wave three, yet.

The announcement was met with criticism from the community for the price point, which has gone up significantly from the past two non-Major versions of the event.

Premium seats have gone up by 300€ compared to IEM Cologne from this year, although there is one more day in this event, and it is a Major.

The prices for lower-valued tickets are a much better deal for those who don't want to give up a grand, coming in at around 80€ per day for lower-level tickets.

In comparison to the premium tickets for the upcoming Starladder Budapest Major, though, Cologne's tickets are much more expensive.

The first wave of tickets for IEM Cologne go on sale on October 13th, full information can be found here.