ESL has officially shared the first details of its Counter-Strike 2 (CS2) Pro Tour for 2025. The tournament circuit promises a massive financial investment of over $22 million spread over the next few years. With Valve's new rules allowing for a more open competitive circuit starting in 2025, tournament organizers like ESL need to step up their game to attract top-tier teams. This is particularly important as other major tournament organizers like PGL and StarLadder are also returning to the scene in 2025.

Key Details of ESL Pro Tour 2025

ESL's 2025 plans were outlined in a post on their website (Check the official website for detailed information), and many expected events will return. The prestigious ESL Pro Tour Championships, IEM Katowice and IEM Cologne, are confirmed to be back. Contrary to some recent rumors, the ESL Pro League will also return with two seasons (21 and 22), and the Intel Grand Slam will continue.

Here's a look at the full ESL CS2 2025 schedule:

• IEM Katowice 2025: January 29th – February 9th
• ESL Pro League Season 21 (Location TBD): February 25th – March 16th
• IEM Spring 2025 (Location TBD): April 21st – 27th
• IEM Dallas 2025: May 19th – 25th
• IEM Cologne 2025: July 23rd – August 3rd
• ESL Pro League Season 22 (Location TBD): September 23rd – October 12th
• IEM Chengdu 2025: November 3rd – 9th

Changes to Event Formats

There are some notable changes for 2025. Apart from IEM Dallas, all IEM events will exclusively invite teams based on the Global Valve Rankings. IEM Dallas will have a mixed format, with 50% of teams being invited through Valve Rankings and the other 50% qualifying via online events. Additionally, best-of-one matches will no longer be part of the format, and all Grand Finals will now be played in a best-of-five series.

No ESL Major in 2025?

One notable absence from the schedule is an ESL Major. The 2025 CS2 Major, usually held in December, has not been announced yet, making it unlikely that ESL will host one this year. If this remains the case, it will mark four years since the last ESL Major, which was the IEM Rio Major in 2022.

Prize Pool Details Awaited

ESL has yet to release details about how the prize money for the 2025 Pro Tour will be distributed across the events. More information about this is expected to be announced soon.

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