Over 25 competitions scheduled across 2022 including rebranded competitions ESL Challenger and ESL Challenger League
Cologne/Stockholm/New York — September 15, 2021 — ESL Gaming, the world’s leading esports company, has today announced the full tournament calendar for its Counter-Strike: Global Offensive competitions. ESL Pro Tour CS:GO 2022 will feature over 25 competitions and the most anticipated ESL Pro Tour to date as ESL’s CS:GO competitions will come back to the biggest stages across the world and fans are planned to return to events including the flagship tournaments Intel® Extreme Masters Katowice and Intel® Extreme Masters Cologne.
With a calendar consisting of seven ESL Pro Tour Masters competitions, four ESL Pro Tour Challenger events (formerly DreamHack Open), four ESL Pro Tour Challenger Leagues (formerly ESEA Premier) and more than ten national competitions, ESL offers a truly open and accessible CS:GO ecosystem.
The 2022 ESL Pro Tour structure comes with the most significant change since the original design was introduced in 2019. Tournament winners on the EPT Challenger level will now all play into ESL Pro League as the one destination for Challenger teams in the ecosystem. The competition will be expanded to further accommodate the new structure for seasons 15 and 16. The circuit concludes at one of the two yearly EPT Championships and aims to crown the ultimate champions to lift the trophy in succession of teams like Gambit Esports and Natus Vincere.
With over US $5m up for grabs in prize money and well over 200 million viewing hours predicted (excl. China), ESL have been working hard to deliver an exciting 2022 calendar for ESL Pro Tour competitors and their fans from around the world. Crucially, after more than a year without fans in attendance of the famous ESL Pro Tour events, ESL are preparing to welcome back the community to in-person competitions in line with the very latest health guidance and safety precautions. More information on ticket sales and entry requirements will be released soon.
“We are incredibly proud and excited to reveal our entire 2022 program planning for ESL Pro Tour for CS:GO,” said Shaun Clark, Director ESL Pro Tour at ESL Gaming.
“While working tirelessly to refine and improve the program, we have made great changes to provide a better, clearer and more competitive structure. We are also ecstatic at the prospect of finally welcoming fans back to our competitions for the first time in two years.”
To stay up to date with news and ticket information, head to eslfaceitgroup.com or follow ESL Gaming on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
ABOUT ESL GAMING
ESL Gaming is the world’s leading esports company. For more than two decades, we have been shaping the industry and leading esports and gaming innovation globally across the most popular video games, creating a comprehensive ecosystem with opportunities for players to go from zero to hero, and for fans to witness the best stories esports has to offer. Our portfolio consists of high-profile products such as the ESL Pro Tour, Intel® Extreme Masters, ESL Mobile, DreamHack Festivals, and many more, ranging from grassroots to global elite competitions. ESL Gaming is part of MTG, the leading international digital entertainment group.
More information is available at eslfaceitgroup.com.
ABOUT ESL PRO TOUR
The ESL Pro Tour combines multiple ESL tournaments from various game titles, including Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, StarCraft® II and Warcraft® III into dedicated circuits that build toward grand championships each year. The overarching structure for both global and local competitions provides aspiring players from all levels a consistent and clear path from “zero to hero”, a more compelling story to follow for existing CS:GO, StarCraft® II and Warcraft® III fans, and a more transparent structure for new esports fans.