DreamHack and ESL announce IEM Atlanta $1,000,000 Counter-Strike 2 tournament

Darragh Harbinson, Senior Editor

Last Updated: 03/11/2025

DreamHack and ESL have announced that DreamHack Atlanta 2026 will be home to IEM Atlanta 2026, a $1,000,000 Counter-Strike tournament.

The event will take place from May 11-17, with on-stage playoffs taking place between May 15-17.

IEM Atlanta 2026 details

IEM Atlanta sees CS’s North American DreamHack event move away from IEM Dallas, which has hosted an event since 2022.

As the BLAST.tv Austin Major was also held in Texas, many American CS fans have been looking forward to an event which is closer to them than the Lone Star State.

IEM Atlanta will feature 16 of Counter-Strike’s best teams, starting the action in two eight-team double-elimination brackets.

The groups will lead to a 6-team single elimination bracket, where group winners will advance directly to the playoffs and the second and third teams of each group will advance to the quarter-finals.

The overall prize pool is $1,000,000, with the winner collecting $295,000 of combined Prize Money and Club Share.

Marc Winther, Director Esports – Counter-Strike at ESL FACEIT Group, shared his excitement upon the announcement of the event, stating, “Bringing a world-class Counter-Strike tournament like Intel® Extreme Masters to Atlanta is a significant moment for esports in the Southeast U.S.”

He continued, “We know how passionate Atlanta’s gaming community is, and we’re excited to bring back the top-tier competition to a city with such a rich history. Hosting IEM at DreamHack will make for an unforgettable weekend of elite competition and festival energy.”

The announcement comes after the conclusion of DreamHack Knockout Atlanta, an eight-team Tier 2 tournament at DreamHack Atlanta 2025.

M80 won the event by defeating BIG in the final, earning them a place at ESL Pro League Season 23.

Halo returns to DreamHack Atlanta

DreamHack also announced the return of Halo esports to DreamHack for 2026. The event takes place from May 15-17, giving Halo esports another big event to look forward to following the conclusion of HCS 2025.

The Halo World Championship 2025 was the circuit’s last event before it suspended action ahead of the release of the next Halo title.

Shopify Rebellion convincingly defeated OpTic Gaming at the Halo World Championship, with some stating that they could build a dynasty as a roster.

With no HCS events to play, DreamHack will be a very welcome opportunity for SR and Halo’s other top rosters to continue their esports journeys.

Halo and Counter-Strike both join Call of Duty Black Ops 7 as featured esports titles, following the Call of Duty League’s reveal of the 2026 esports calendar.

The CDL circuit includes visits to DreamHack Atlanta, as well as returning to the UK at DreamHack Birmingham.

Darragh Harbinson, Senior Editor

Darragh Harbinson is an esports writer specialising in Counter-Strike. He has written for Esports News UK, Esports Insider, UKCSGO, Dexerto, and Rush B Media.

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