Two finals, two records, one growing esports era 

IEM Cologne 2026 shattered records as Team Falcons swept FURIA 3-0 in the grand final, peaking at 2.75M viewers and becoming the most-watched CS match ever. 

Meanwhile at London’s Copper Box Arena, VALORANT Masters London marked a historic milestone, with the grand final peaking at over 1.06 million concurrent viewers. This represents a 20.8% increase compared to Masters Santiago earlier this year, establishing it as the highest-viewed VALORANT Masters event of 2026. 

On paper, CS2 comes out ahead in this comparison. However, context is key. Masters London’s peak of over 1,071,910 still places it among the elite viewership peaks in VCT Masters history, with the 2024 Masters Madrid record standing at 1,687,848. Leviatán’s lower-bracket run to the title in a five-map grand final delivered exactly the kind of storyline that keeps viewers engaged beyond the final map. 

CS2's numbers are exceptional, but they required the sport's biggest stage, five years of buildup since Stockholm, and a career-defining storyline around NiKo finally lifting Major gold. VALORANT crossed one million viewers at a mid-season event. Both games are growing. The scoreboard just happens to look very different right now.

The most played games