Counter-Strike 2 adds stickers and Pick'Em challenge for IEM Cologne Major 2026

On the night of May 21st-22nd, Counter-Strike 2 developers released a major client update dedicated to the upcoming IEM Cologne Major 2026, which starts in just a couple of weeks.

In the new patch, Valve added traditional stickers for the tournament participants, but the familiar capsules are gone – items can now be purchased directly in the store.

You can purchase tokens and redeem them for any sticker you want. The prices of stickers will depend on relative demand (when lots of players buy a particular sticker, its price goes up and other sticker prices go down), but if you're worried that a sticker might drop in price right after you buy it, we've got you covered. If a sticker price drops by more than 25 tokens within 24 hours of your purchase you'll get a refund of tokens for the total difference.

Furthermore, Counter-Strike 2 now features the ability to craft souvenir weapons.

What will you bring to the signing session? Now you can craft your own Souvenir! Take any normal or Souvenir quality weapon in your inventory and select a completed match and one of the players. You'll get your weapon back in Souvenir quality with gold team, autograph, and map stickers applied.

Finally, Valve added the Pick'Em Challenge and Viewer Pass dedicated to the upcoming Cologne Major.

Purchase and activate a Cologne 2026 Viewer Pass, and you'll receive a 2026 Cologne Major Challenge Coin. Play the Pick'Em Challenge to upgrade your Challenge Coin from Bronze to Silver, Gold, or Diamond and with each upgrade you'll get 300 tokens that you can redeem for the stickers or souvenirs of your choice.

As with previous Majors, 50% of the revenue from tournament merchandise sales for the IEM Cologne Major 2026 will be distributed among the tournament organizer, teams, and players. "But this time the royalty rates depend on performance. Between now and the end of the Major royalty rates for token sales are based on the teams' VRS seeding, and after the Major the royalty rates will be based on the Major final standings", reads Valve's statement.

Answers to frequently asked questions regarding the new patch, which includes a store, stickers, souvenirs, and other new features, are available on the official Counter-Strike website.

IEM Cologne Major 2026 will take place from June 2 to 21, 2026, with 32 teams competing for a $1.25 million prize pool. The first stage matchups were announced earlier.

Origin: www.counter-strike.net