Ⅰ. Background review: Spodek’s historical status
Since 2014, Spodek Arena has been the venue for IEM Katowice. It has witnessed the most classic duels in the CS:GO era and is also the starting point for many professional players to step onto the big stage for the first time. Katowice has become one of the most ceremonial events in the CS ecosystem at the beginning of each year.
However, as the scale of the event grows, Spodek’s capacity is gradually stretched. Therefore, starting from 2026, ESL decided to move part of the main stage of IEM Katowice to Tauron Arena in Krakow to accommodate more spectators and more advanced stage equipment.
Ⅱ. Latest news: Spodek will host the CS2 competition again in 2026
In early July 2025, ESL officially announced through social platforms: “When one journey ends, another will begin. Counter-Strike will return to Katowice and Spodek Arena in 2026.”
Although the official has not yet announced the specific event name, based on community and industry analysis, this return is most likely to be the offline playoffs stage of ESL Pro League S23 or S24, rather than the IEM competition.
Ⅲ. Event time and schedule estimation
According to the 2026 annual plan officially announced by ESL, the following is expected:
| Date | Tournament | Location | Details |
| Jan 27 – Feb 8, 2026 | IEM Kraków | Tauron Arena | Replacing IEM Katowice, features 24 teams, $1.25M prize pool |
| March 2026 | ESL Pro League S23 (Playoffs) | Likely Spodek Arena | Online group stage, live playoffs in Katowice |
| Sept–Oct 2026 | ESL Pro League S24 | TBA | Possible return to Katowice |
This shows that Spodek’s positioning has shifted from the top flagship competition to an important but medium-sized professional league stage, which is still highly strategic.
Ⅳ. Why choose Spodek to be reactivated?
Strong fan sentiment: Spodek carries countless famous scenes, and many CS players have a special liking for it.
Ideal for medium-sized offline venues: Compared with the 15,000-person Tauron Arena, Spodek can accommodate about 11,000 people, which is suitable for medium-sized but fast-paced events such as Pro League.
Excellent geographical location: Katowice is less than 80 kilometers away from Krakow, which can form a “Polish dual-city event matrix”, which is conducive to the intensive development of media, broadcasting and event operations.
V. Community reaction and analysis
On platforms such as Reddit and Twitter, the global CS community quickly launched heated discussions. Most people believe that this move is ESL’s tribute to Spodek’s historical status, and it is also an attempt to balance the allocation of resources between flagship events (such as IEM) and league-type events (such as Pro League).
“This doesn’t look like IEM is back, but another ESL CS2 event. I bet it’s EPL S23.”
“Spodek will always be the holy land of CS, and it’s worth going no matter what event it is.” —— From the Reddit comment area
VI. Data support and trend judgment
Venue capacity: Spodek Arena can accommodate about 11,500 people, suitable for medium-sized events, and the atmosphere is strong.
Event attention: In 2024, IEM Katowice attracted more than 6 million online viewers, and offline tickets were once sold out. It is expected that even if the IEM main event moves to Krakow in 2026, Spodek’s CS2 tickets will still be hard to get.
Prize and team level: If it is the final stage of the ESL professional league, the prize money is expected to be between 750,000 and 1 million US dollars, and the participating teams are the top 12 of the top 24 in the world.
Conclusion: Spodek is not retired, but repositioned
Spodek Arena has not been eliminated because of the “withdrawal of the main stage”, but has been given new meaning. It will become a “landmark venue” for ESL mid-term events such as the professional league, continue to serve the CS2 global community, and exert its historical influence and on-site atmosphere advantages.
ESL’s dual-city layout in 2026 – Krakow’s main IEM + Katowice’s EPL, will build Poland into a new form of CS2 e-sports center, continuing tradition and embracing the future.
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