Team Spirit vs G2 Esports Sets New CS2 Viewership Record

IEM Cologne Major 2026 has officially become the most-watched tournament in Counter-Strike 2 history. According to Esports Charts, the event’s peak viewership surpassed 2 million viewers. The previous record belonged to PGL Major Copenhagen 2024, which peaked at 1.8 million viewers.

The new historic mark was set during the quarterfinal match between Team Spirit and G2 Esports. And if any match was going to break the record, it had to be this one. The series turned into a true three-map slugfest and ended with Spirit winning 2:1.

G2 started stronger and took Overpass 13:9. But after that, Spirit switched into survival mode. Danil “donk” Kryshkovets’ team pulled out a 16:14 win on Dust2, while the deciding Mirage became one of the wildest maps of the tournament. Spirit finally closed it out 25:22, with a crazy highlight from Boris “magixx” Vorobyov.

That kind of storyline perfectly explains why viewers could not look away from the broadcast. A Major semifinal spot was on the line, G2 were close to a huge upset, and Spirit once again proved that they can survive even the most chaotic series.

Spirit Survive Wild G2 Slugfest and Reach Major Semifinals

IEM Cologne Major 2026 is taking place in Germany from June 2 to 21. Teams are competing for a $1.25 million prize pool.