THE ULTIMATE Counter-strike COMPETITION

A global circuit built for Counter-Strike and featuring clear pathways to make it from an amateur to pro, ensuring opportunities for everyone. ESL Pro Tour brings seven live events and more than $11 million up for grabs in total winnings annually.

EPT Championship
EPT Masters
EPT Challengers

upcoming tournaments

Cologne 2025

Aug 1 -
Aug 3, 2025

Season 22

Sep 27 -
Oct 12, 2025

Chengdu 2025

Nov 7 -
Nov 9, 2025

Kraków 2026

Feb 6 -
Feb 8, 2026

Brazil 2026

Apr 17 -
Apr 19, 2026

USA 2026

May 15 -
May 17, 2026

China 2026

Nov 6 -
Nov 8, 2026

Latest news

About the ESL PRO Tour

The World's best teams

ESL has been at the heart of competitive Counter-Strike since its earliest days, hosting legendary tournaments dating back to the early 2000s.

Today, under the ESL Pro Tour (EPT), ESL continues to shape Counter-Strike’s competitive landscape, delivering an unmatched combination of elite gameplay, unforgettable atmosphere and community driven entertainment.

It is an all-encompassing ecosystem that provides multiple tiers of opportunities to players and teams from across the world, featuring Intel® Extreme Masters, ESL Pro League and ESL Challenger League.

Those looking to compete will play for advancement through the ranks with the goal of hoisting the legendary trophy at one of the two annual ESL Pro Tour Championship events.

EPT Championship & Masters winners automatically participate in the EGS

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EPT Championships are the pinnacle of CS competition.
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EPT Masters are where both established teams and the champions of Challenger tournaments compete.
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EPT Challengers  offers a doorway for aspiring teams to compete on a global stage.

EPT In Detail

EPT Championships

Staples of the Counter-Strike competition for years, the EPT Championship tournament are where legends are made. Held twice a year, featuring a 1,000,000 prize pool and ESL Grand Slam Contribution, 24 teams battle it out in 3 stages - Play-In, Group-Stage and Playoffs - to claim the ultimate glory and stamp their mark in history.

Stage
# OF TEAMS
QUALIFIED VIA
Play-In
16
ESL World Ranking, Local Invite
Group-Stage
16
Play-in, EPT Championship or Masters win, Valve sponsored Major win, ESL World Ranking
Playoff
6
Group-Stage - 1st Place in each group directly to Semis

EPT Masters

EPT Master tournaments are where teams consistency is put to the test, elite competition where only the world-class or those aspiring to be compete. The goal: Win an EPT Masters trophy and automatically qualify to an EPT Championship. Stopping at all points of the globe and boasting over 2$ Million in prize pool, the tournaments at the EPT Master tier, are divided into two - Intel Extreme Masters & ESL Pro League. IEM offers the traditional tournament format, whilst EPL spans 3 weeks, with a group-stage and Playoff format for 32 teams.

Intel Extreme masters

Stage
# OF TEAMS
QUALIFIED VIA
Group-Stage
16
ESL World Ranking, Local Invite
Playoff
6
Group-Stage

ESL Pro League

Stage
# OF TEAMS
QUALIFIED VIA
Group-Stage
8 x 4 Groups (32)
Regional Qualifiers, EPT Challenger win, ESL World Ranking
Playoff
16 Teams
Group-Stage 1st Place to Quarter-Finals 2nd Place to Ro12 3rd/4th to Ro16

EPT Challenger

EPT Challenger offers an opportunity for teams to compete at a higher level in front of fans around the world. A global footprint that gives qualification to the Masters Level in ESL Pro League and begin many teams' journey to establishing themselves in Counter-Strike. ESL Challenger League being the ultimate opening door for any upcoming players and teams, win throughout the different levels of ESL Challenger League and qualify to ESL Pro League.

Annual Club Incentive

The Annual Club Incentive is a $2.95 million program in 2025 that rewards the top 16 teams based on their tournament participation and viewership impact. Teams earn points from average concurrent viewership during group stages and the number of events attended, with payouts distributed proportionally at year's end. Explore the ESL CS2 Ecosystem Agreement.

$2,950,000

ESL PRO Tour

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Days

EPT Championship

EPT Championship

IEM

Aug 1 -
Aug 3, 2025
| Lanxess Arena
Tournament starts on Jul 23
00
Sleep

Nights

00
Days

EPT Masters

EPT Masters

Sep 27 -
Oct 12, 2025
| LAN
00
Sleep

Nights

00
Days

EPT Masters

EPT Masters

IEM

Nov 7 -
Nov 9, 2025
| LAN
Tournament starts on Nov 3
00
Sleep

Nights

00
Days

EPT Championship

EPT Championship

IEM

Feb 6 -
Feb 8, 2026
| Tauron Arena
00
Sleep

Nights

00
Days

EPT Masters

EPT Masters

IEM

Brazil 2026

Apr 17 -
Apr 19, 2026
Tournament starts on Apr 13
00
Sleep

Nights

00
Days

EPT Masters

EPT Masters

IEM

USA 2026

May 15 -
May 17, 2026
Tournament starts on May 11
00
Sleep

Nights

00
Days

EPT Masters

EPT Masters

IEM

China 2026

Nov 6 -
Nov 8, 2026
Tournament starts on Nov 2
00
Sleep

Nights

Explore more

Documents

General Rules

General Rules

Game Specific Rules

Roster Restrictions

Participation

Ecosystem Agreement

Team Participation Agreement

Competition Terms and Conditions

*N.B. These documents are applicable to all ESL Pro Tour events, with the exception of Valve-sponsored events for which separate documents will be made available.

Streamer

Explore Broadcast Guidelines

Latest NEws

2026 Events in Brazil, USA & China

Annual Club Incentive Update – Post IEM Dallas

Intel Extreme Masters Cologne 2025: Team Invites

newsletter

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IEM Cologne 2025

Format and Price Distribution

Stage 1

Stage 2

PlayOffs

Total Winnings: $1,250,000

Place
Prize Money
Club reward
1st
$400,000
$60,000
2nd
$180,000
$36,000
3rd-4th
$80,000
$28,000
5th-6th
$40,000
$21,000
7th-8th
$24,000
$14,000
9th-12th
$16,000
$7,000
13th-16th
$10,000
-
17th-20th
$4,500
-
21st-24th
$2,500
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ESL Pro League Season 22

Format and Price Distribution

Stage 1

Stage 2

Stage 3

Total Winnings: $1,000,000

Place
Prize Money
Club Reward
1st
$100,000
$150,000
2nd
$50,000
$75,000
3rd-4th
$25,000
$55,000
5th-8th
$18,000
$40,000
9th-11th
$13,500
$25,000
12th-14th
$10,500
$10,000
15th-16th
$8,500
-
17th-19th
$6,500
-
20th-22nd
$4,500
-
23th-24th
$3,000
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IEM Dallas 2025

Format and Price Distribution

Stage 1

PlayOffs

Total Winnings: $1,000,000

Place
Prize Money
Club Reward
1st
$125,000
$160,000
2nd
$50,000
$100,000
3rd-4th
$25,000
$80,000
5th-6th
$12,500
$60,000
7th-8th
$7,000
$40,000
9th-10th
$5,000
$20,000
13th-16th
$4,000
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