ESL have announced that their Counter-Strike events from ESL Pro League Season 22 onwards will no longer have showmatches; instead, they will feature third-place decider matches.
The move sees a corresponding restructuring of ESL’s prize pool, allowing for third-placed teams to win between $16,000-$46,000 more than the fourth-placed team, depending on the tier of ESL event.
Pro League features the smallest discrepancy between the placements, with $6,000 more prize money and $10,000 more “Club Reward” going to third place. Non-championship level IEMs (Intel Extreme Masters) will award teams $10,000 more prize money, and $20,000 more Club Reward. Championship-level events (Krakow and Cologne) feature the largest difference, with $40,000 more prize money for third and $6,000 more prize money.
Why are third-place deciders returning to Counter-Strike
Third/Fourth-place decider matches were once a common occurrence at CSGO events, but fell out of fashion due to the perception that teams didn’t really try as they were already out of trophy contention, combined with the limited financial incentives. Showmatches soon became the dominant warm-up for Grand Finals day. However, PGL and (now) ESL have returned to third-place deciders due to the changing Counter-Strike ecosystem.
Third-place decider matches have returned to the world of Counter-Strike following the implementation of Valve Regional Standings (VRS). Prize money is a vital component of improving a team’s rank in VRS, and therefore is central to guaranteeing invites to events, including the Counter-Strike majors.
Therefore, there are added incentives for teams and organisations to try their hardest to secure improved placement in the event, despite the third or fourth-placed teams missing out on the trophy.
ESL reveal IEM Krakow ticket prices
IEM Krakow’s first wave of tickets goes on sale on July 3rd. The ticket prices for the corresponding sections have been revealed ahead of the sale, with the highest tier tickets amounting to 2100 PLN (roughly £424) and the lowest 480 PLN (roughly £97) for the three days of the event.
It is ESL’s first event at the Tauron Arena, following the move away from Katowice. ESL’s Carmac explained the move in an interview with Polish publication XYZ, stating
“We’ve grown a lot again, and even Spodek is too small for us. There are more and more people willing to watch IEM live. Tickets from year to year sell out faster and faster – recently, it was several minutes. Therefore, we are increasing the scale.”
Despite the move, ESL have committed to multiple years at their new home and intends to stay there for the immediate future.
“The move is necessary for us from a business point of view, but we wanted to stay in the region. Krakow is close to Katowice, where we have a regional office of the EGF and our own studio. We have also received a good offer from the city, and I hope that this cooperation will last a long time. We don’t want to change location every year.”
Despite the move, Katowice’s heritage is evident in the marketing for Krakow, which features the same trophy, the Hall of Heroes, and the iconic stairs listing past champions. While the venue has moved, ESL are seemingly keen to keep the flavour of the event the same.
IEM Cologne 2025 sells out
While Krakow might be new to the rotation, ESL’s iconic visit to Cologne’s Lanxess Arena remains here to stay, with tickets selling out. It’s understandable that fans are excited for what is always one of Counter-Strike’s most electric events, but its timing this year gives it special significance.
IEM Cologne 2025 will be the debut for many of the new rosters making moves during the player break. The new rosters will be hoping to challenge Vitality’s latent dominance doing into the second half of the season.
Have an inclination on how those roster moves will play out? Check out our Esports Betting Sites to get join-up offers and free bets.
Darragh Harbinson is an esports writer specialising in Counter-Strike. He has written for Esports News UK, Esports Insider, UKCSGO, Dexerto, and Rush B Media.
