ESL has announced the ESL Impact 2023 schedule as it reaffirms its commitment to women’s Counter-Strike.
With the finalists of ESL Impact League Season 2 ready to travel to DreamHack Winter for a showdown this week, ESL Faceit Group has announce details of the 2023 program for the all-women CSGO circuit – ESL Impact – first announced a year ago.
But first, the caster line-up for ESL Impact League Season 2 features UK talent such as Frankie Ward, James Bardolph and BDog:
ESL Impact, which aims to provide women with the opportunity to progress to the top, has seen several top esports organisations enter the women’s scene and sign a women’s roster, distributed over $370,000 in prize money in 20 Cash Cups, two League Seasons and one standalone event.
Viewers have tuned in for the live broadcasts, the Season 1 finals at DreamHack Dallas and the standalone event at DreamHack Valencia were played in front of an audience, with Nigma Galaxy crowned as champions twice. And UK casting talent like Veracity were on board with the ESL Impact finals earlier this year.
The remainder of 2022 also includes two more Cash Cups and the live ESL Impact League Season 2 Global Finals up ahead, and almost $130,000 in prize money still up for grabs.
For 2023, the following ESL Impact events will take place:
ESL Impact at Intel Extreme Masters (IEM) Katowice 2023
● February 10-12, 2023
Coming from two Open Qualifiers in December 2022, the two top teams from Europe, North America, and South America will face off live at a standalone event during IEM Katowice 2023.
ESL Impact League Season 3
● March-April, 2023
The eight best teams from Europe, North America and South America will battle it out in their regional online league. The top two teams per region qualify for the Global Finals.
ESL Impact League Season 3 Global Finals in Dallas
● June 2-4, 2023
Competing for a share of the $150,000 total prize pool and the coveted title, the top teams from all five regions will face off in front of a live audience in Dallas, Texas, USA.
ESL Impact League Season 4
● September-October, 2023
Following the same format as the third season, the ESL Impact League will continue to see the best teams from Europe, North America and South America face off online for a spot in the live Global Finals.
ESL Impact League Season 4 Global Finals in Hanover
● December 15-17
Gathering in Hanover, Germany, the two best teams from three League regions will battle in their attempt to claim the season title and a portion of the $150,000 total prize pool.
“From individual women significantly improving their gameplay to some major esports organisations investing in an all-women’s roster – 2022 has already seen more success stories than we could have imagined. And we look forward to leveling up the circuit even further in 2023 and beyond.”
Charlie Sirc, ESL Faceit Group
Cash Cups are also set to return in 2023, with a total prize pool of over $100,000. More information and details to come at a later stage.
“It’s amazing to see how having the right infrastructure in place has already helped countless women to focus on what they love and take their skills to the next level,” said Charlie Sirc, product manager of game ecosystems for CSGO at ESL Faceit Group.
“From individual women significantly improving their gameplay to some major esports organisations investing in an all-women’s roster – 2022 has already seen more success stories than we could have imagined. And we look forward to leveling up the circuit even further in 2023 and beyond.”
ESL Impact was launched in the beginning of 2022 and is one of the initiatives of ESL Faceit Group’s #GGForAll program. Following the belief that “it’s not GG [Good Game] until it’s GG for all,” the #GGForAll initiatives aim to tackle discrimination, foster diversity and inclusion, promote mental wellbeing and progress environmental sustainability in esports.
“Not only does ESL Impact leave a big mark in the esports industry, it has also opened up many opportunities for women (and men) from all backgrounds to get actively involved behind the scenes, thereby making ESL Faceit Group more diverse and inclusive,” said Claudia Beaton, VP PMO, people and culture at ESL Faceit Group.
“We can’t wait to see what positive changes other and future #GGForAll initiatives will bring about.”
Head over to the official ESL Impact website for more info
Dom is an award-winning writer and finalist of the Esports Journalist of the Year 2023 award. He graduated from Bournemouth University with a 2:1 degree in Multi-Media Journalism in 2007.
As a long-time gamer having first picked up the NES controller in the late ’80s, he has written for a range of publications including GamesTM, Nintendo Official Magazine, industry publication MCV and others. He worked as head of content for the British Esports Federation up until February 2021, when he stepped back to work full-time on Esports News UK and offer esports consultancy and freelance services. Note: Dom still produces the British Esports newsletter on a freelance basis, so our coverage of British Esports is always kept simple – usually just covering the occasional press release – because of this conflict of interest.
