Major teams' Cologne sticker royalties will be performance-based

As part of the IEM Cologne 2026 update ditching sticker capsules, Valve has announced that team sticker royalties will now be performance-based.

Sticker royalties used to be determined by sales of capsules, with the stickers of eight Major teams being included in each capsule. However, players can now purchase individual stickers of their choosing using tokens. Valve cited "feedback that players might prefer to purchase stickers directly" as the reasoning for this economy change.

The new royalty system will continue to provide 50% of sales with tournament organizers, teams, and players, but the amount teams and players receive will depend on their competitive success:

"Between now and the end of the Major royalty rates for token sales are based on the teams' VRS seeding, and after the Major the royalty rates will be based on the Major final standings."

A breakdown of the royalty percentages is provided at the end of the update post. According to this breakdown, the Major champions will receive 2.85% of token sale revenue. Note that the resulting amount will be split 50/50 between the players and the organization. The bottom-ranking teams will receive a much lower 0.72% share.

This change raises concerns for the sustainability of smaller, less successful organizations, especially those in North America that have relied more heavily on sticker sales in the past. Already-wealthy teams that can afford more competitive rosters may be the ones to benefit most, while the less financially endowed might be left behind.