All HLTV Hall of Fame 2026 nominees
NEO and Rambo appear on the ballot for the first time. Five players return for a second nomination and three for a third.
| Player | Country | Career highlights | Nomination |
|---|---|---|---|
| NEO | Poland | CS:GO Major champion and three-time WCG winner | First |
| Rambo | United States | X3 and Team 3D player; two WCG gold medals | First |
| dupreeh | Denmark | Five Major titles | Second |
| elemeNt | Norway | A leading player in the early international NoA lineup | Second |
| solo | South Korea | WEM 2010 winner with WeMade FOX | Second |
| SpawN | Sweden | A star of SK and NiP in the CS 1.6 era | Second |
| XeqtR | Norway | An in-game leader and tactician of early Counter-Strike | Second |
| fRoD | United States | Complexity AWPer and ESWC 2005 champion | Third |
| kennyS | France | Major champion with ten MVP awards | Third |
| Ksharp | United States | One of North America’s first star AWPers | Third |
Why is NEO only being nominated now?
NEO became eligible for the ballot after a rule change. Previously, an active coach could not be inducted for his playing career. That restriction, commonly called the “NEO rule,” has been removed.
dupreeh’s five Majors and kennyS’s AWP legacy
dupreeh is the only player to have attended all 19 CS:GO Majors. He won four titles with Astralis and a fifth with Vitality at the BLAST.tv Paris Major 2023. His candidacy spans the CS:GO era, from its earliest Majors to its final one in Paris.
kennyS won the Cluj-Napoca Major in 2015, also taking the tournament’s MVP award. His aggressive AWP style became a defining feature of French Counter-Strike. This is his third nomination for induction.
How are the four chosen, and why does CS 1.6 matter?
The decision rests with a 12-person committee of former players, broadcast talent, journalists and industry figures. Its members include SPUNJ, moses and hooch.
For the Class of 2026, two to three places are reserved for players from the CS 1.6 to early CS:GO period. This gives players whose main achievements predate the modern scene a place in the selection. The final four will therefore reflect different eras of the game.
Who is already in the Counter-Strike Hall of Fame?
The inaugural Class of 2024 consisted of Potti, HeatoN, f0rest and GeT_RiGhT. In 2025, markeloff, olofmeister and cogu joined them. There are seven inductees today; adding the new four will bring the total to eleven.
When will the inductees be announced, and what do they receive?
The announcement names the nominees only and gives no separate date for revealing the final four. Induction takes place at the HLTV Awards on January 9, 2027 in Belgrade, Serbia. “Class of 2026” names the intake; the ceremony itself falls in 2027.
Each inductee receives a Rolex watch with a Hall of Fame inscription, a special profile and recognition on the Hall of Fame page. Their career will also be covered in an article and video. The announcement does not specify an exact ceremony start time.
Source: HLTV.
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