(Cologne, Germany) February 20, 2015 - The world's largest Counter-Strike: Global Offensive tournament will be held in Germany this year thanks to a partnership between LANXESS arena and ESL, the world's largest esports company. Set to take place in Europe's second largest multifunctional arena, usually home to ice hockey giants, "Kölner Haie", the event will boast competition between sixteen of the world's best First Person Shooter (FPS) teams in a 15,000-seater stadium on August 22nd and 23rd.
"We had the honour of hosting two US$250,000 Counter-Strike: Global Offensive tournaments last year as part of the ESL One esports tour, and this year we plan on stepping it up," said Ulrich Schulze, Managing Director of Pro Gaming at ESL. "ESL One Cologne is going to be the largest Counter-Strike: Global Offensive event in the world. Taking place in the biggest indoor arena in Germany, we're sure it'll be a massive hit for fans from all over."
ESL One Cologne marks ESL's fourth US$250,000 Counter-Strike: Global Offensive tournament in just over two years. While previous ESL One events featured a community funded prize pool, the Cologne prize money is to be provided by ESL directly. Ulrich Schulze noted that this was proof of the company's dedication to the game's esports development, saying that 2015 would see the company do even more with the game than ever before.
"We're very excited to be the first German arena to host an event of this kind and are convinced that Cologne, as both a tourist destination and as a technology capital, is perfectly suited," said Stefan Löcher, CEO of ARENA Management GmbH. "In co-operation with our partner, ESL, we're looking forward to host some of the world's best esports players and their fans come August 2015."
Sixteen teams will make their way to Cologne this August to battle it out for US$250,000 in prize money. Information on tournament structure and the qualification process will be released at a later date.
Ticket sales for ESL One Cologne in the LANXESS arena (August 22nd and 23rd) begin on February 23rd. Tickets will be available on Eventim and all associated ticketing agencies in Germany.
More information can be found at www.esl-one.com
ESL is the world's largest esports company, leading the industry across various games with numerous online and offline competitions. It operates high profile, branded international and national leagues and tournaments such as the Intel® Extreme Masters, ESL One, ESL Pro Series, StarCraft® II World Championship Series, as well as grassroots amateur cups, leagues and matchmaking systems. ESL covers a broad field of services in gaming technology, event management, advertising and TV production, fully catering to the needs of the esport’s ecosystem. With offices in Germany, Russia, France, Poland, Spain, China, North America and partners in many other countries, it has a truly global footprint. www.eslgaming.com
ESL One - In ESL One, teams and players from all over the world compete in an eSports tournament unlike any other. Featuring the games Dota 2, Counter-Strike Global Offensive and Battlefield 4, ESL One gives out hundreds of thousands in prize money every year. With events taking place in sports stadiums all over the world, it puts the players in front of enthusiastic audiences, cheering them on in their attempt to secure the one trophy and the glory that comes with it. www.esl-one.com
The LANXESS arena opened its doors in 1998 and with room for up to 20,000 spectators it is one of the largest multifunction arenas in Europe. Not only the architecture but also the technical facilities have set a benchmark at an international level. With over 150 events every year, the LANXESS arena offers a full programme with superstars, big events with international music stars, shows and sports events as well as numerous television productions and presentations within a range of 50 to 20.000 persons. Since the arena’s opening, 28 million guests visited Germany´s largest and best-attended multifunction arena.