EWC 2026 nearly matches PGL Stockholm Major’s all-time Counter-Strike prize pool record

For nearly five years, the PGL Major Stockholm 2021 has sat alone atop the Counter-Strike prize pool leaderboard with its $2 million purse. That throne is about to get crowded. The Esports World Cup 2026 is matching that figure for its main CS2 tournament, bringing the game’s financial ceiling back to a level it hasn’t touched since the pandemic era. The EWC 2026 CS2 main event, scheduled for August 12 through 23 in Paris, will feature a $2 million prize pool with an additional $100K set aside for qualifiers. It’s the kind of number that doesn’t just turn heads in the Counter-Strike community. It resets expectations for what non-Major events can offer. A record that took half a decade to revisit The PGL Major Stockholm 2021 was a landmark moment for competitive Counter-Strike. Held during a period when live esports events were still navigating COVID-19 restrictions, the tournament’s $2 million prize pool set the all-time record for any CS event. The EWC 2025 CS2 event offered $1.25 million. The jump from $1.25 million in 2025 to $2 million in 2026 represents a 60% increase year over year. What makes this particularly notable is that the EWC isn’t a Valve-sanctioned Major. Majors ha...