Analytics company Esports Charts has reported that the IEM Cologne Major 2026 CS2 quarterfinal match between Spirit and G2 reached a peak of 2,044,763 concurrent viewers. This marks a new all-time viewership record in the history of Counter-Strike 2.
The previous record belonged to PGL Major Copenhagen 2024. As the first Major in CS2 history, the event peaked at 1.85 million viewers.
The tournament has also broken ESL's all-time peak viewership record, which previously stood at 1.4 million viewers. Naturally, it also set a new peak viewership record for the entire IEM Cologne tournament series.
The match between Spirit and G2 ended with a 2-1 victory for Spirit, with the deciding map featuring four overtimes.
IEM Cologne Major 2026 is taking place from June 2 to June 21 in Cologne, Germany. The tournament features a prize pool of $1.25 million.
As a reminder, ESIC is preparing a new wave of bans in CS2, with former players also expected to face sanctions.