ESL FACEIT Group’s (EFG) DreamHack announced this week that it plans on returning to Atlanta’s Georgia World Congress Center from May 15–17, 2026, for DreamHack Atlanta 2026.
In addition, DreamHack laid out tentative plans for the 2026 event; it will serve as host for a Call of Duty League Major for the very first time in its history, as well as EFG’s Counter-Strike 2 competition, the Intel Extreme Masters (IEM) Atlanta.
The news comes on the heels of DreamHack Atlanta 2025, which marked the festival’s seventh year in the city this past weekend, which organizers claim, saw nearly 40,000 attendees from all 50 states and 61 countries attend the multi-day festival.
Call of Duty League Major III
DreamHack Atlanta will host Major III of the 2026 Call of Duty League season, with all 12 CDL teams competing for points to qualify for Championship Weekend in Las Vegas later in the year. Call of Duty League Major II will be hosted at the first-ever DreamHack Birmingham in the UK.
Intel Extreme Masters (IEM)
The IEM Atlanta event will feature three days of competition played in front of a live crowd as teams compete for a piece of the total prize pool of $1,050,000 USD, and points towards the ESL Grand Slam race for $1,000,000.
In addition to CDL and IEM competitions, DreamHack Atlanta will feature esports tournaments for Halo (as part of DreamHack Open) and other games (to be announced); cosplay competition; meet-and-greets with content creators, celebrities, and voice actors; freeplay and arcade gaming areas; indie game showcases; an artist alley; live mainstage entertainment; community generated programming; various brand activations and booths; and more.
“DreamHack Atlanta 2026 will be our biggest festival in history — a flagship celebration of competition, creation, and community that represents everything gaming stands for, all under one roof,” said Shahin Zarrabi, VP of festivals at ESL FACEIT Group. “Atlanta has truly become home for DreamHack in America — a city with unstoppable momentum in esports, culture, and live events. With IEM, CDL Major III, and our largest festival weekend yet, Atlanta is going to experience the most unforgettable event in gaming and esports.”
More details on tickets for IEM Atlanta and CDL Major III can be found at dreamhack.com/atlanta/tickets. Tickets for these competitions include access to DreamHack Atlanta 2026.
DreamHack is a subsidiary of EFG, which is owned by Savvy Games Group, a gaming and esports company wholly owned by the Saudi Arabian government’s sovereign wealth fund, the Public Investment Fund (PIF). Companies owned by the Saudi Arabian government are often accused of being used to “sports wash,” or obscure the country’s record of human rights abuses and the treatment of women and members of the LGBTQ+ community.