Counter-Strike 2 players have only a few days left to spend their remaining Cologne Major tokens, with Valve confirming that the event’s sticker shop will close on September 29.
Valve has officially announced the closing date for the IEM Cologne Major 2026 in-game shop. According to Valve, Cologne Major stickers and other tournament items will remain available until September 29, giving players less than a week to use any unused tokens.
The deadline was confirmed through the official Counter-Strike account on X and subsequently appeared in the Counter-Strike 2 client.
Cologne Major introduced a new sticker system
The IEM Cologne Major 2026 marked a significant change to how Major stickers are sold in Counter-Strike 2.
Instead of the traditional sticker capsules, Valve introduced a system in which players could purchase tokens and use them to directly obtain the team or player autograph sticker they wanted. Prices were dynamically adjusted according to demand. Valve’s original announcement said the system was designed so players could select specific stickers rather than relying on a random capsule.
The new approach produced some dramatic price movements. Highly sought-after autographs reached extremely high token prices, with reports of individual stickers exceeding $1,000. In some cases, prices reportedly went beyond Steam’s $2,000 transaction limit.
At the same time, less popular stickers remained significantly cheaper, reflecting the demand-based pricing model.
Valve later added Ranked Series stickers
Following the initial sticker system, Valve introduced a second collection known as the Ranked Series.
These stickers feature a square design and display the team’s final placing at the Cologne Major. Unlike the original dynamically priced stickers, the Ranked Series uses fixed prices, with the most expensive stickers capped at around 6,000 tokens, or roughly $60.
Valve acknowledged that the original dynamic pricing system had not produced what it considered reasonable prices. The introduction of the Ranked Series therefore represented a substantial adjustment to the Cologne Major’s sticker economy.
Both the original Event Series and the newer Ranked Series are part of the Cologne 2026 shop.
September 29 is the final deadline
With the shop now approaching its closing date, players have until September 29, 2026, to spend their remaining Cologne Major tokens on eligible items.
The deadline is particularly notable because Cologne 2026 did not receive the traditional post-Major sticker discount that Counter-Strike players had become accustomed to with previous Majors. Instead, Valve introduced the additional Ranked Series stickers with fixed pricing.
Players who still have unused tokens should therefore check their Cologne Major inventory before the shop disappears.
What happens after the shop closes?
Valve has confirmed that the Cologne 2026 shop will not receive another extension beyond September 29.
The closing date also brings an end to the direct purchasing period for the event’s tournament stickers through the in-game shop. Afterward, players interested in Cologne 2026 items will generally have to look at the existing item market and trading ecosystem rather than purchasing them directly from the Major shop.
The Cologne sticker system has already attracted considerable attention from the Counter-Strike trading community because of its departure from the traditional capsule model. The combination of dynamic pricing, the later introduction of fixed-price Ranked Series stickers, and the absence of a conventional post-Major sale made Cologne 2026 one of the more unusual Major sticker releases in Counter-Strike history.
Players holding unused tokens have only a few days remaining to decide how they want to spend them.
