CS:GO Tournaments are definitely “a thing”.
This esport has been around for more than seven years, and its predecessors from the Counter-Strike series had already been around for more than 10 years when it was released.
As such, CS:GO has a thriving professional scene.
In 2019 alone, over 50 CS:GO tournaments of various sizes (starting from $100,000 in prize money) provided fans and players alike with spectacle, competitive opportunities, betting opportunities, and so on.
If you’re an aspiring CS:GO player, you’ll be amazed at how many opportunities exist to prove your skills and make money.
If you’re a fan of the game and enjoy watching events, you’ll be just as amazed to discover how much action this esport has to offer all year long.
7 Best CS:GO Tournaments
CS:GO Majors
CS:GO Majors are roughly the equivalent of a world championship for this game, except they take place twice a year. Each of these CS:GO tournaments has a prize pool of $1 million, brings together 24 teams, lasts for three weeks, and has three stages.
They are massive events that bring together the best of the best and provide a great show for everyone.
The winner of the last three CS:GO Majors was Astralis. It remains to be seen what changes 2020 will bring, but for the time being, the Danes are simply too good to handle.
ESL Pro League
This CS:GO tournament is played online for six weeks in two regions: Europe and North America. A total of 16 teams advance to the ESL Pro League Finals, which is a high-level LAN event that brings together the best competitors in the world. The prize pools are usually in excess of $600,000.
ESL Pro League takes place twice each year. The starting and ending dates are set each time by the organizer, according to their schedule. In 2019, the winner of the first tournament was Team Liquid, and the second one was won by mousesports.
Esports Championship Series
Esports Championship Series is very similar to ESL Pro League, having a similar format and a similar prize pool. The league is played online for around six weeks in Europe and North America.
The best teams from both regions qualify for the Finals, which is a LAN event with a substantial prize pool of $500,000.
Esports Championship Series takes place twice a year, usually during Summer and late Autumn/Winter.
BLAST Pro Series
BLAST Pro Series is a recent addition to the CS:GO tournaments and leagues. This series offers high-quality events that take place regularly (every two months) and bring together six exceptional teams.
Often a spot is offered to a local team that isn’t part of the BPS circuit. Teams get directly invited and they compete for $250,000 in prizes, as well as qualification points for the Global Final.
In 2019, there were six BPS events plus the Global Final. At this last tournament, four of the seven circuit teams were invited, based on their number of qualification points. These teams were Astralis, Team Liquid, FaZe Clan, and Ninjas in Pyjamas.
The tournament had a prize pool of $500,000 and was won by Astralis.
Intel Extreme Masters
Intel Extreme Masters, or IEM, is one of the oldest and most prestigious series of CS:GO tournaments. The organizer, ESL, usually offers three or four such tournaments per year. The format, prize pools, and dates vary according to what ESL finds appropriate.
Sometimes there are eight teams in the race, other times there are 16. Sometimes the prize pool is $250,000, other times it’s higher.
In 2019, IEM had four big tournaments, including a Major. The locations were very diverse, covering multiple regions: Beijing, Sydney, Chicago, and Katowice (the Major).
DreamHack Masters
DreamHack is almost synonymous with CS:GO and Counter-Strike in general, having been around almost since the launch of the series itself.
To this day, DreamHack provides numerous tournaments each year.
The bigger tournaments are usually included in the DreamHack Masters series, while the smaller ones are included in the DreamHack Open series. And while they may not be the biggest CS:GO tournaments in the circuit, DreamHack events are a great source of spectacle and opportunities for the entire pro scene.
ESL One
ESL One is another series of CS:GO tournaments organized by ESL.
Each season, around two or three such events take place in various locations around the globe.
The prize pools range from $200,000 to $300,000 and the number of participants varies as well.
Thanks to ESL’s effort, each CS:GO season is richer in content and action, providing the community with what it longs for.
