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ESL Faceit Group (EFG) has this morning unveiled details regarding the latest installment of its Counter-Strike 2 (CS2) circuit, ESL Pro Tour (EPT) 2025.
The tour will see a financial contribution of $11m+ annually towards teams and players participating in the circuit. This annual contribution to teams and players comes on top of a hospitality spend included in each event, which will continue to feature accommodation, flights, practice setups and on-site hospitality.
Tteams will also continue the Intel Grand Slam race for a chance to claim the $1m cash prize. The complete breakdown of the contribution will be revealed soon.
“The EPT for Counter-Strike 2 is the definition of EFG’s commitment to fostering a fruitful competitive environment and continually nourishing Counter-Strike’s heritage, as we’ve done since 2000,” said Marc Winther, Director Game Ecosystems – Counter-Strike, at EFG. “With a circuit that spans multiple continents and integrates diverse levels of competition, we are excited to further fuel opportunities for world-class teams and passionate fans alike.”
EFG says it will enter the latest season of the EPT ‘following a historic 2024 for the world’s leading CS2 program’.
“With hundreds of thousands of fans worldwide attending competitions across six countries, ESL CS2 tournaments sold out arenas across the globe and generated over 140m hours watched. This year marked IEM’s triumphant return to China, the celebration of the 100th IEM event in Dallas, and the most-watched IEM Cologne 2024 with more than 1m peak viewers for the Grand Finals,” EFG added.
The ESL Pro Tour Counter-Strike 2025 Circuit
With Valve’s updated operational guidelines for Counter-Strike esports in 2025, the EPT structure has been remodelled to meet the requirements.
“While aligning with the new requirements, EPT remains true to its core values and competitive spirit, ensuring that fans and players continue to experience the highest level of competition,” EFG said.
ESL Pro Tour Championships
EPT Championships are the pinnacle of the ecosystem, taking place twice a year and featuring the 24 best teams from around the world.
EPT Championships for 2025 include:
- ESL Pro Tour Winter Championship
- Intel Extreme Masters (IEM) Katowice 2025
- January 29-February 9 / Katowice, Poland
- The final three days of the competition will take place in front of a live audience in the iconic Spodek Arena.
- The ticket sale starts on October 22, 2024 3pm CEST. Additional details like ticket types and prizes for IEM Katowice 2025 can be found here.
- During the three live competition days, the event will be accompanied by the IEM Expo, taking place at the International Congress Center (MCK) in Katowice. The leading esports-centric and tech tradeshow will give esports and gaming enthusiasts an opportunity to enjoy additional activities, try out the latest in gaming and tech, and more.
- ESL Pro Tour Summer Championship
- Intel Extreme Masters (IEM) Cologne 2025
- July 23-August 3 / Cologne, Germany
- The final three days of the competition will be hosted live in the legendary Lanxess arena
- The ticket sale starts on October 24, 2024 3pm CEST. Additional details like ticket types and prizes for IEM Cologne 2025 can be found here.
ESL Pro Tour Masters
“EPT Masters competitions are the backbone of the ecosystem, top-tier competitors from around the globe battle it out on international stages to prove themselves in the race to be high enough in standings to make the EPT Championships each season”, EFG said.
“Masters-level IEM tournaments will see 16 teams competing, whereas ESL Pro League (EPL) will see 24 teams. From 2025, all EPT Masters matches will be played in a best-of-three series, except the Grand Final, which is best-of-five. More details, including locations and ticket sales, will be announced at a later date.”
- ESL Pro League Season 21:
- February 25-March 16 / Europe
- IEM Spring 2025:
- April 21-27 / Location to be announced.
- IEM Dallas 2025:
- May 19-25 / Dallas, Texas, USA
- ESL Pro League Season 22:
- September 23-October 12 / Europe
- IEM Chengdu 2025:
- November 3-9 / Chengdu, China
Grassroots ESL competitions
New and aspiring Counter-Strike 2 squads from select regions can start their competitive journeys, develop their skills, and climb the ladder via ESEA Leagues hosted on the Faceit platform, EFG said.
Additional details about the remaining EPT competitions in 2025 will be announced at a later date.
ESL national leagues including the UK Prem were closed just over a year ago.
There’s more info on ESL Pro Tour changes for 2025 on the EPT website here
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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.
