We are thrilled to announce that ESL One Cologne 2016 will once again be an official Valve Major! It will be the fifth major hosted by ESL out of a total of nine. Eight legends from the previous Major and eight challengers from the offline qualifiers will clash at the LANXESS Arena in the battle for the most prestigious CS:GO championship title as well as their share of the newly increased US$1,000,000 prize pool.

“Last year’s ESL One Cologne was one for the history books. - We delivered by far the world’s biggest and most-watched Counter-Strike event of all time, but more than anything I am proud to say that we delivered a fantastic event in of itself,” said Ulrich Schulze, VP Pro Gaming at ESL. “There are always things we can improve on, and we’re looking to take key learnings from last year to raise the bar even further in 2016 for what will hopefully be a truly legendary experience, both online and off.”

Eight teams have already secured a slot in the event by achieving legendary status at the previous Major. The challenger slots will be fought for by the eight teams that didn’t make it to the Columbus Major quarterfinals, as well as the eight teams that will emerge victorious from the Regional Minor Championships in the European, North American, Asian and CIS regions.The offline qualifier will take place in June when only eight teams will earn the chance to compete against the legends for the title.

ESL One Cologne will provide live in-game streaming through GOTV, as well as behind the scenes footage of players and personalities. Fans will be able to meet their favourite teams and players thanks to our signing sessions, enjoy showcases with replica life-size CS:GO weapon skins and get together at the ESL One Camp.

See you at the major!

Don’t miss Europe’s biggest and most prestigious CS:GO event - get your ESL One Cologne ticket here!

If you’re looking for a perfect place to stay during the event or a way to get there, we have you covered with our ESL One Cologne camp and buses. You can also head over to our forums to meet fellow fans as well as organize meetups and travel plans.

To stay up to date with all the important information about ESL One Cologne, remember to follow ESL CS on Twitter and Facebook.