IEM Cologne Major drops crypto sponsors entirely as esports pivots to traditional funding

The biggest Counter-Strike tournament of the summer is in full swing, and there’s a conspicuous absence in the sponsor lineup. The IEM Cologne Major 2026, running from June 2 through June 21 with a $1.25M prize pool, features zero cryptocurrency sponsors.

Stage 3 heats up with best-of-three format

Day 2 of Stage 3, which landed on June 12, delivered compelling matchups including Spirit versus Aurora and G2 versus FUT. Video recaps went live promptly on YouTube via ESL and community creators.

Stage 3 itself runs from June 11 to June 15 at the Palladium in Cologne, using the Swiss-system format. This is the first Major where every single Stage 3 match is played in a best-of-three format. Previous Majors used best-of-one matches in early Swiss rounds. This is the fifth Major in CS2 history.

The crypto sponsorship vacuum

Rewind a few years, and crypto brands were throwing money at esports. FTX had its logo plastered across TSM’s entire brand identity. Coinbase, Crypto.com, and a parade of smaller exchanges were fixtures at events like this one. Look at IEM Cologne 2026, and that entire category has vanished.

Valve’s token system: blockchain-free by design

Valve has introduced a revamped in-game store for the Major that uses its own token-based purchasing system. Players can buy a minimum of 100 tokens for $0.99, then use those tokens to purchase stickers and other in-game items. These tokens have nothing to do with blockchain technology. They’re a centralized, Valve-controlled currency that exists entirely within Steam’s ecosystem. Valve banned NFT and crypto-based games from the platform back in 2021.

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