As part of our previous announcement regarding details for the ESL Pro Tour in 2025, we mentioned that further details would be provided about the opt-in agreement enabling teams to be eligible for a share of ESL’s revenues and profits from the Counter-Strike circuit.
The agreement, informally dubbed as the “ESL CS2 Ecosystem Agreement”, is a non-exclusive opt-in available to any team that wishes to participate. At its core, the agreement establishes the commitments and obligations of the teams in relation to their participation in our events. It also outlines the services, hospitality, compensation, and revenue sharing provided by ESL.
The full agreement, which teams are being presented ahead of tournament participation, can be found here. Teams interested in opting in can submit the signed agreement by sending it to cs2agreement@efg.gg.
ESL is allocating over $11,000,000 annually to clubs and players in both 2025 and 2026, a commitment we are bound to upon entering the agreement.
Distribution of the $11M+ annual allocation
A total of $7,500,000 in Total Winnings will be up for grabs across our 7 events in 2025, distributed via two categories: an amount of $3,700,000 is allocated to Prize Money, while $3,800,000 of the annual profit and revenue share are paid out as Club Reward. The Club Reward is currently available to all teams attending the events, while the Annual Club Incentive is only paid to teams who have signed the Ecosystem Agreement.
ESL Pro Tour 2025Overview
Total Winnings | Prize Money | Club Reward | |
|---|---|---|---|
IEM Katowice 2025 | $1,250,000 | $1,000,000 | $250,000 |
IEM Cologne 2025 | $1,250,000 | $1,000,000 | $250,000 |
IEM Dallas 2025
| $1,000,000 | $300,000 | $700,000 |
IEM Melbourne 2025 | $1,000,000 | $300,000 | $700,000 |
IEM Chengdu 2025 | $1,000,000 | $300,000 | $700,000 |
ESL Pro League S21 | $1,000,000 | $400,000 | $600,000 |
ESL Pro League S22 | $1,000,000 | $400,000 | $600,000 |
The dedicated year-end payout, the Annual Club Incentive, which will amount to $2,950,000 in 2025, represents the remaining portion of ESL’s forecasted revenues and profits. ESL is committed to sharing 10% of its revenue and 25% of its profits from Tier 1 Counter-Strike 2 esports competitions to fund these payouts. More details about the structure and mechanism can be found in our previous announcement here.
Additionally, teams can compete in the Grand Slam race for a chance to win $1,000,000 and cement their place in Counter-Strike history.
Throughout the year, ESL will provide regular updates on the Annual Club Incentive standings based on concluded competitions, culminating in the full end-of-year standings once validated.
