ESL has announced an increase to the Club Rewards allocation for Intel Extreme Masters China 2026. The organiser confirmed that 250,000 dollars originally assigned to IEM Cologne has been reassigned to the China event, raising IEM China’s total Club Rewards to 950,000 dollars.
ESL explained the adjustment in an official blog post. IEM Cologne holds Major status in the 2026 season, meaning total winnings fall under Valve’s control. As a result, the 1.25 million dollar prize pool for the IEM Cologne Major does not include Club Rewards for participating teams.
With the reallocation, the total prize pool for IEM China rises above the previously announced one million dollars. Prize and reward distribution has been updated to reflect the increased Club Rewards allocation.
The tournament winner will receive 125,000 dollars in prize money along with 235,000 dollars in Club Rewards. The runner up will earn 50,000 dollars in prize money and 160,000 dollars in Club Rewards. The third placed team will take home 30,000 dollars in prize money and 130,000 dollars in Club Rewards.
Across the 2026 season, ESL will still distribute a total of 3.8 million dollars in Club Rewards across seven sanctioned events.
IEM China 2026 takes place offline from November 2 to November 8 near the end of the competitive Counter Strike 2 season. The event will feature 16 teams.
Thirteen teams will receive direct invitations based on Valve Regional Standings from August 2026. These include one team from North America, one from South America, one from Asia, and ten from the Global standings. Two additional teams will qualify through the Global Qualifier, while the final slot goes to the winner of the Asian Qualifier.
The tournament opens with a Group Stage featuring two GSL groups of eight teams in double elimination formats. Top teams advance to a single elimination playoff bracket, ending with a best of five Grand Final.
Summary
ESL has increased Club Rewards for IEM China 2026 to 950,000 dollars after reallocating funds from the IEM Cologne Major. The change raises total winnings for the Counter Strike 2 event while keeping overall 2026 Club Rewards unchanged.
