ESL Faceit Group (EFG) announced that it’s investing $22 million into the Counter-Strike competitive ecosystem in the next two years as part of its ESL Pro Tour (EPT) 2025.
To start with, the EPT will receive $11 million yearly to distribute to teams and players participating in the competition. This is in addition to the other expenses EFG takes on, such as flights, setups, accommodation, and other hospitality costs.
Plus, the Intel Grand Slam race is still going on, which gives teams the opportunity to compete for $1 million.
The EPT 2025 structure will be a bit different than it was in 2024 to meet the new requirements from Valve concerning Counter-Strike esports. ESL Pro Tour Championships feature top-tier pro teams from around the world.
EPT Championship competitions will take place twice a year. The first will be the ESL Pro Tour Winter Championship in Katowice, Poland from January 29, 2025, to February 9, 2025. Audiences will be able to watch in person for the last three days. There will also be an Intel Extreme Masters Expo during this time.
The ESL Pro Tour Summer Championship will be in Cologne, Germany from July 3, 2025, to August 3, 2025. Again, fans can watch in person for the last three days of the competition.
ESL Pro Tour Masters are a step below, featuring pro teams who are trying to make it to the Championships. There will be five of Masters competitions around the world in 2025:
- ESL Pro League Season 21: February 25 to March 16; Europe
- IEM Spring 2025: April 21 to April 27; TBA
- IEM Dallas 2025: May 19 to May 25; Dallas, Texas, USA
- ESL Pro League Season 22: September 23 to October 12; Europe
- IEM Chengdu 2025: November 3 to November 9; Chengdu, China
Additionally, lower-tier competitions are held on the Faceit platform for newer squads that are trying to rise through the ranks.
ESL Faceit Group’s investment into the Counter-Strike competitive scene comes after a historically large 2024 season. Fans watched over 140 million hours of ESL CS2, which also sold out arenas around the world.
For more esports news, check out the collaboration between Cloud9 and Nvidia as well as the launch of Scottish Esports.