Katowice to host two weekends full of gripping esports featuring Dota 2 and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive with a combined prize pool of over $1.3M
The flagship event series ESL One returns as part of Intel Extreme Masters (IEM) Katowice to the legendary Spodek Arena in Katowice, Poland for the second time in a row on February 22 – 24, 2019. Twelve of the world’s best Dota 2 teams will not only battle over the coveted trophy but also a lion’s share of the 300,000 prize pool. In addition to two of the most prestigious competitions, ESL One and IEM Katowice 2019 CS:GO Major, the leading esports-centric tradeshow, IEM Expo, will also return to the International Congress Center (ICC) in 2019.
Eight out of the twelve Dota 2 teams will be directly invited to participate in the group stages of ESL One Katowice, which will be held on February 19 – 21, while the other four teams need to prove themselves in regional qualifiers. The qualifiers will kick off in November and are open to teams in Europe, North America, China and Southeast Asia. Alongside the Dota2 tournament, fans will get the chance to participate in the cosplay contest, which has been a long-standing part of the festival experience.
“We are looking forward to bringing ESL One back to the legendary Spodek Arena in Katowice as part of another double weekend full of action-packed esports,” said Ulrich Schulze, Senior Vice President of Product at ESL. “Our events in Katowice are like no others, thanks to the passionate fans which travel to Poland from all over Europe and create a breath-taking atmosphere in the arena.”
With 8.000m² of exhibition space, the fifth edition of the IEM Expo will once again welcome top industry brands and influencers, opening its doors on February 22 – 24 and March 1 – 3. Fans can look forward to a fully packed stage with live esports competitions, giveaways, meet and greets and signing sessions with pro players and teams. On top of that, the Intel® Showcase will feature the latest 9th Gen Intel® Core™ i7 and Intel® Core™ i9 processors for gaming, VR and content creation.
Up next in the ESL One event series for Dota2 is ESL One Hamburg 2018, which is set to take place in the Barclaycard Arena in Hamburg, Germany on October 26-28. Followed by a fulminant start of the year with ESL One Katowice 2019 and two more stops of Europe’s largest Dota 2 festival to come.
Tickets for ESL One Katowice are available via ESL’s ticket website. More information about additional esports competitions, attendee experiences and event schedules will be released in the upcoming weeks.
Be sure to follow ESL One Dota 2 on Twitter and Facebook to receive the latest updates on ESL One Katowice 2019. For more information about the event please visit the official website and check out the ESL One Katowice 2019 announcement trailer.