Tournament Starts: August 4
The Cathedral of Counter-Strike now rises from the ashes, bigger and better than before. 24 of the world's best teams will make their pilgrimage to Cologne, where they will compete for the title of IEM Cologne 2027 Champions.
13 years of Counter-Strike in Cologne. 13 years of stories, memories, and emotions. Under the pressure of this arena, dreams will be crushed and legends will be forged.
The Cathedral as you've never seen it before.
More Fans. More Energy. More Counter-Strike.
Tickets will go live in waves, after an exclusive pre-sale for last years' Premium, Diamond Coin, and IEM+ Upgrade buyers.
Pre-Sale starts October 13
Tickets live from October 15
Please note that the minimum age to attend this event is 16.
Featuring a Goodie Bag including unique merchandise valued at over 232€
Check back soon to see the designs of each item as they are revealed. A separate ticket is required for admission.
Exclusive items are not available for purchase and can only be acquired with this Add-On.
Including exclusive 1/1s and unique autograph cards you can't buy anywhere else
Guaranteed Signing Sessions will take place at IEM Cologne 2027 — more details on this will be shared at a later date, as all information is still subject to changes.
Featuring a Goodie Bag including unique merchandise valued at over 232€
Check back soon to see the designs of each item as they are revealed. A separate ticket is required for admission.
Exclusive items are not available for purchase and can only be acquired with this Add-On.
Including exclusive 1/1s and unique autograph cards you can't buy anywhere else
Guaranteed Signing Sessions will take place at IEM Cologne 2027 — more details on this will be shared at a later date, as all information is still subject to changes.
Absolutely - everyone is welcome to attend IEM, whether you watch Counter-Strike esports every day, or haven't played the game in a year. Counter-Strike is the most watched FPS esport in the world, and is easy to get into - even if you've never played a game.
The minimum age for attending the event is 16 years. Children and adolescents under 16 are not permitted to attend the event, even if accompanied by a legal guardian. Proof of age must be provided upon request.
Our ticket sale is structured in multiple waves to give everyone a fair chance. Each wave has its own separate and limited inventory for every ticket category. This means that if a ticket you want is marked as "sold out" during that wave, a new stock of that same ticket will become available at the start of the following wave.
You will have another opportunity to purchase it then, and certain tickets will become available starting in future waves.
No, tickets are not refundable. Closer to the event, you will have the opportunity to list and sell your tickets on our official resale platform.
Tickets for IEM Cologne 2027 will be going live in waves, with an official pre-sale starting on the 13th for fans that bought tickets in the Premium & Diamond Coin categories, or for anyone that purchased an IEM+ Upgrade at last years' IEM Cologne Major 2026.
Want to get ahead in securing your ticket for the next IEM Cologne? Pre-sale access for next year’s event is included in the IEM+ Upgrade, available alongside all ticket types and included in every Premium or The Sanctuary ticket!
Premium Reserved tickets will become available at a later stage. If you have purchased a ticket and would like to upgrade, you will be able to do so once this ticket type is available.
You will receive your tickets 2 days before the event starts. You will still be able to use our native transfer, rebooking and resale features.
Hardtickets will be shipped within two weeks of personalising your tickets.
Assigned seating will only be available for Premium Reserved (at a later stage), Plus and Lower Reserved ticket buyers. All other ticket types are free seating within the seating area that you purchased your ticket for.
Premium Seating is based in the Infield, while Plus and Lower Reserved are based in the Lower Ranks. Premium tickets include free drinks throughout the 4 days, as well as the IEM+ Upgrade and Exclusive ticket presale access for the next IEM Cologne event.
Lower Reserved seats and Plus are both assigned seating within their section, and provide a better viewing experience than other Lower or Upper seats. Plus ticket buyers will also receive an IEM+ Upgrade.
Ticket transfers will be available 7 days before the event starts. Once available, you can access this feature directly by opening the ticket details, either via the order confirmation or from your ticket confirmation email.
Please note that the ticket's barcode will only be released 48 hours before the event, and transfers are not possible with hard tickets.
You are able to buy a maximum of 4 tickets per authenticated customer for the pre-sale, and 8 tickets per transaction starting in Wave 1.
Yes, at checkout you will have the option to pay in either 3 or 6 monthly instalments.
Yes, you can upgrade your ticket to a higher category, subject to availability. However, you cannot downgrade your ticket to a lower category, nor can you change the day of a single-day ticket.
Please note: If you receive a hardticket and choose to upgrade, its barcode will become invalid. You are welcome to keep the old ticket as a souvenir, but you will need to order a new one if you still want a physical ticket for entry.
You will receive the link to the presale shop on 12.10.2026.
To access the presale shop, you will need to login in to your ESL account on vivenu, using the same email as your 2026 purchase. If you don’t have an ESL account on vivenu, please create one using the email address you used to purchase your IEM Cologne 2026 ticket.
If your ticket was purchased by someone else or was gifted to you, please email events@esl.com, providing details of the ticket (barcode, order id etc), as well as your Full Name and Email before 11. October 2025 at 23.59 CEST. If we can find a matching record in our database, we will add your information to the presale authentication process. Please follow the steps outlined above once your access has been confirmed.
If you want to purchase a full lounge, reach out to us at ticketing@efg.gg.
If we recognise that B2C purchases are taking place for B2B purposes, we may be required to cancel your tickets and you will need to rebook.
Guaranteed Signing Sessions will take place at IEM Cologne 2027 — more details on this will be shared at a later date, as all information is still subject to changes.
The wheelchair spaces are located on the foyer level (3) and can therefore be reached from all entrances without changing floors. Infield (premium) and upper ranks are not accessible. Upper rank tickets will be upgraded to lower rank tickets for this purpose.
Only the dedicated accompanying person would be able to sit near the wheelchair spaces in the arena, and Upper rank ticket holders won’t be able to sit nearby even if they all originally booked tickets together.
If you have any ticket related enquiries, please contact vivenu here: https://esl.vivenu.store/support
You will not be able to re-enter the event if you have removed your wristband.
There will be no exceptions, so please keep your wristband on for the full weekend once you have received it.
You will be able to collect your goodie bag across the full weekend at the goodie bag collection point. More details around this will be shared in the event guide sent out during the week of the event.
Yes, once you have checked in and received your wristband, it is possible to leave and re-enter the venue until the final map of the day has been completed.
Yes, press and media accreditation applications can be submitted at eslfaceitgroup.com/press.
Yes, an A4 sized bag is eligible to be brought into the arena. Any bags larger than this would need to be left at home.
You are allowed to bring a camera in with you — however, any camera you bring in must be no bigger than a typical size DSLR, and you aren't allowed to bring any large lenses in with you.
Yes, check-in is available across the full weekend and you are not required to check-in at a specific time, i.e. you purchased a 4 day ticket but can no longer arrive until day 2, you will still be able to check-in.
The main language for the event and the games commentated inside the arena will be English.
Other language streams will be available to watch online.
The Organizer reserves the right to prohibit additional items if deemed dangerous or inappropriate.
Outside food and drinks are not allowed - however, there will be food and drink options available inside the event.
If you still have more questions, please send an email to events@esl.com!
Last updated: 1st of October, 2026
IEM Cologne History is Counter-Strike History.
Explore the gallery to see how the Cathedral of Counter-Strike was created by all of us, with every legendary moment.
Culminating in the heart of Cologne, the Cathedral of Counter-Strike has become a temple for history making. The event's significance lies in its long-lasting traditions and ability to consistently deliver iconic and memorable moments. With determination to run every year since 2014, IEM Cologne has and will continue to evolve, in its format, the stories we tell, and the unique atmosphere that each fan brings with them into the Cathedral.
The LANXESS arena has become a venue well known for its roaring crowds and electrifying atmosphere. Up to this day, IEM Cologne remains a beloved event, serving as a showcase of the game's longevity, enduring competitive spirit and the ever evolving world of esports.
This year with the change of format, we are able to bring more guaranteed signing sessions to IEM Krakow than last year. There will be twice as many signing sessions you are able to get your hands on and a new format for purchasing tickets.
Each signing session will have limited capacity. All signing sessions will be priced equally.
Blind sale: 90PLN
Confirmed team: 135PLN
Teams that are set to play their quarterfinal match on Thursday, will attend signing sessions on Friday, and teams that are assigned to play their match on Friday will attend signing sessions on Thursday.
The four runners up from the quarterfinals will attend another signing session on Saturday, the order of these signing sessions will be predetermined based on the order of the quarterfinal matches.
Location: TAURON Arena Kraków
Signing Sessions will take place at TAURON Arena Kraków, follow signage on-site to the restaurant area on the western side of the arena.
Team invite date:
Monday, 5th January
Stage 1 seeding:
Thursday, 15th January
Stage 2 seeding:
Friday, 30th January
Playoff team confirmation:
End of match schedule Tuesday, 3rd February
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