The Biggest CS2 Tournaments in 2024 You Don’t Want to Miss

The competitive excitement of Counter-Strike is at an unmeasurable height at the moment, thanks to the release of CS2. There are a lot of big tournaments planned for the year ahead. So why not check out the esports schedule for 2024 to know which CS2 tournaments to expect, when they’re happening, their formats, and where it is possible to watch them?

Counter-Strike 2 tournaments in 2024 should be especially interesting, as the top-level competitors have had quite enough time to adapt to the updated game. All the best CS2 players of 2023 shined in Counter-Strike. Will the new esports era bring new champions?

BLAST Premier

This CS2 esports league was launched in 2020 as a replacement for the BLAST Pro Series.

BLAST Premier consists of two seasonal leagues, Spring and Fall, which are pretty stretched in time and include three separate tournaments. The competitive year for the series will be concluded with the World Final event.

BLAST Premier: Spring 2024

It’s quite a big series of tournaments that starts with the Groups part, where six teams can get direct tickets to the Final. The next stage is Showdown, with only two slots for the Final. CS2 BLAST Premier: Spring 2024 concludes as the Final competition of the best eight teams in the series.

Let’s take a look at the details of each stage.

Spring Groups | January 22–28

It’s the first big S-Tier CS2 tournament in 2024.

16 teams are divided into four groups. The competitive format is double-elimination brackets. Teams that are first in their groups proceed directly to the Final.

Second places continue to the Playoffs with single-elimination brackets: four teams, two matches, and two winners to also proceed to the Final. Matches happen in Copenhagen, Denmark.

The prize pool of this stage is $190,000.

BLAST Premier: Spring 2024 Spring Groups Results:

Team Vitality, FaZe Clan, Natus Vincere, and Virtus.pro proceed to the Spring Final as group winners. Astralis and G2 Esports won the Playoffs stage and will also play in the Spring Finals.

Spring Showdown | March 6–10

It’s an online tournament, but we still include it in our list of big CS2 events as the Showdown is part of the BLAST Premier series.

10 teams come to this tournament from the Spring Groups. Six more participants are winners of various smaller events.

The Showdown format is single-elimination brackets. Two teams proceed to the Final.

The prize pool is $135,000.

BLAST Premier: Spring 2024 Spring Showdown Results:

Two teams qualified for the Spring Final event: SAW and Team Spirit. SAW defeated Team Liquid, Cloud9, and OG in their group. Team Spirit had Elevate, BIG, and Metizport as opponents.

Spring Final | June 12–16

It’s the final tournament of the BLAST Premier: Spring 2024 CS2 esports series and takes place in London, UK. The Champion will be crowned after pretty intense qualifying stages.

The Spring Final consists of two stages:

• Group Stage

16 teams in four groups; double-elimination brackets; the three top teams in the groups proceed further;

• Playoffs

Group runners-up start in the Quarter-Finals upper side, and third places are in the lower side; group winners play in the Semi-Finals. The format is single-elimination brackets.

The prize pool is $425,000.

BLAST Premier: Fall 2024

The series of seasonal Blast Premier tournaments repeats in the fall, having the same format. Following these events gives an interesting view of how the teams develop throughout the year and the changes that can happen on the global scene.

Again, the three stages of the series are organized as separate events, having quite big gaps between them. Do you like this approach or do you prefer it when a CS2 competition is condensed to a three-week tournament, like IEM?

Fall Groups | July 26 – August 4

It’s a tournament for 16 teams, which play in four groups first, and then some of them have another chance in the Playoffs. The event takes place in Copenhagen, Denmark.

The double-elimination format in groups seems to be quite fair, as players can make a mistake but then adapt and still get their ticket to the seasonal Final.

Group winners go directly to the Blast Premier: Fall Final. Second placements allow teams to compete in single-elimination matches of the Playoff—yep, the last chance becomes tougher.

The prize pool is $190,000.

Fall Showdown | August 21–25

Sure, 10 big competitors from the Group stage are favorites at this Blast Premier CS2 tournament. But it’s always great to see how one of those six contenders who qualified from smaller events suddenly explodes and becomes a new esports sensation. Can something like this happen in 2024?

The format here doesn’t give a chance for mistakes. It’s single-elimination brackets for 16 teams. The top two proceed to the Final.

The prize pool is $135,000.

Fall Final | September 25–29

The best teams in the Fall series have their final clash to distinguish the one and only Fall Champion. The offline location is the same as for the Groups Stage, Copenhagen, Denmark. The format is:

• Group Stage

For 16 teams. After double-elimination matches, the top three of the four groups play in the next stage.

• Playoffs

They start from Quarter-Finals (groups’ second places and runners-up). Group winners play in the Semi-Finals. Here we have single-elimination brackets.

The prize pool is $425,000.

BLAST Premier: World Final 2024

Unlike the seasonal CS2 BLAST Premier series, the World Final doesn’t have qualifying stages—teams start directly from the Finals format. On-stage matches take place in Abu Dhabi, UAE.

• Group Stage | November 11–14

Eight teams are divided into two groups and compete in double-elimination brackets. The top three proceed to the Playoffs.

• Playoffs | November 15–17

The format of this stage is single-elimination matches, which start from the Quarter-Finals (third and second places from groups). Group winners play in the Semi-Finals.

The prize pool of the BLAST Premier: World Final 2024 is $1,000,000, and that makes the event one of just a few with such a reward.

Intel Extreme Masters

It’s a series of CS2 esports events organized by ESL. We can distinguish two types of tournaments: the EPT Championship, with bigger money in the prize pools and more stages of competition, and the smaller EPT Master.

The events happen in different locations throughout the year.

IEM Katowice 2024

We traditionally have a Counter-Strike competitive event in Katowice, an iconic town for our community. The EPT Championship is so prestigious for the winning CS2 team.

IEM Katowice 2024 has three stages:

• Play-In | Starts on January 31

16 teams play in single-elimination brackets. Eight winners proceed to the Group Stage.

IEM Katowice 2024 Play-In Results:

Teams that survived this stage are: Eternal Fire, Heroic, Team Spirit, GamerLegion, Cloud9, ENCE, Apeks, Rebels Gaming.

• Group Stage | Ends on February 8

16 teams are divided into two groups. After double-elimination brackets, three top teams in groups get placements in the Playoffs.

IEM Katowice 2024 Group Stage Results:

Team Spirit and MOUZ were first in their groups. FaZe Clan and ENCE qualified for the playoffs as runners-up. Team Falcons and G2 Esports proceeded to the next stage after playing through the lower brackets.

• Playoffs | February 9–11

It’s the main stage, and the matches take place in front of live audience in Katowice, Poland.

The format is single-elimination brackets. Quarter Finals are for third places in groups (lower side) and runners-up (upper side). Group winners proceed directly to the Semi-Finals.

The prize pool is impressive — $1,000,000.

IEM Katowice 2024 Playoffs Results:

In one of the Semi-Finals, Team Spirit defeated Team Falcons, who had previously eliminated ENCE. FaZe Clan defeated two opponents on their way to the decisive match: G2 Esports and MOUZ. Team Spirit was unstoppable in the Grand Final (thanks to Donk’s mind-blowing performance). They won the match 3:0 and celebrated the ultimate victory. Team Spirit is the Champion of IEM Katowice 2024!

IEM Chengdu 2024

This is the first Intel Extreme Masters event of the EPT Master format in 2024. It’s quite interesting that the traditional CS geography is expanding to China. The country certainly has huge potential to bring lots of new players and viewers to the competitive scene.

• Group Stage | April 8–11

The tournament starts directly from the Group Stage, where 16 teams compete in double-elimination brackets. The goal for them is to reach top three placements and proceed to the next stage.

• Playoffs | April 12–14

The tension becomes heightened here, as the competitive format is single-elimination brackets, starting from Quarter-Finals. The Playoff matches take place on stage in Chengdu, China.

The prize pool of EM Chengdu 2024 is $250,000.

IEM Dallas 2024

Intel Extreme Masters moves to the USA with another EPT Master event. This means having only two tournament stages.

On the one hand, there’s less chance for smaller teams to get into the CS2 elite. On the other hand, all the matches have Counter-Strike titans, which is super exciting for fans.

• Group Stage | May 27–30

We will have two groups with four teams in each. The brackets are of the double-elimination format. The top three teams proceed to Playoffs: the Quarter-Finals (third places and runners-up) and the Semi-Finals (group winners).

• Playoffs | May 31 – June 2

The Champion of IEM Dallas will be determined in single-elimination brackets. It’s generally the most exciting part of any Counter-Strike 2 event. Do you still cheer for a team if your favorite is out? The Playoff matches take place on stage in Dallas, USA.

The prize pool of IEM Dallas 2024 is $250,000.

IEM Cologne 2024

At the end of the summer, we can enjoy the second Intel Extreme Masters event of the EPT Championship format. As you have probably guessed, the matches of this CS2 event take place in Cologne, Germany. The prize pool is quite a motivation for the best teams in the world to travel to the Counter-Strike cathedral and demonstrate their best skills in the top-level matches.

Like in Katowice, we have an early qualifying stage for teams to try and proceed to the Groups.

• Play-In | Starts on August 7

These matches happen with no audience, but we certainly can follow them online. There will be 16 teams to compete in single-elimination brackets and only eight of them remain in the tournament.

• Group Stage | Ends on August 15

The format here is traditional for the Intel Extreme Masters events. Eight teams come from the Play-In part, and eight more are qualified thanks to their previous performances. After playing in two groups, three top teams from each will compete in the next stage.

• Playoffs | August 16–18

Only the best remain in the game. The Playoffs part starts from the Quarter-Finals, where group runners-up play in the upper side, and third places try to survive in the elimination brackets. It’s nice to be group winners, as they start from the Semi-Finals.

The prize pool of IEM Cologne 2024 is $1,000,000.

IEM Fall 2024

We sure need another Intel Extreme Masters event to celebrate the conclusion of a wonderful competitive year. The Fall tournament is of a smaller format (which doesn’t mean it’s less interesting).

• Group Stage | October 7–10

The tournament starts with the Group Stage, and the main goal for the participating 16 teams is to get top three placements in two groups. These double-elimination matches can be followed online—which is okay, considering how much time they take. It’s better to keep the on-stage excitement for the Playoffs.

• Playoffs | October 11–13

It’s where CS2 matches become uncompromising. The format is single-elimination brackets, starting from the Quarter-Finals. The location for IEM Fall is still unknown. Do you plan to visit any Intel Extreme Masters tournament offline?

The prize pool is $250,000, like in Dallas and Chengdu.

PGL Major Copenhagen 2024

It’s the first Valve-sponsored CS2 event in 2024, which means having the biggest prize pool among all the tournaments in our schedule. And sure, victory in a Major is always an impressive achievement, so the Counter-Strike community follows these matches with great interest. The prize pool of PGL Major Copenhagen 2024 is $1,250,000.

To let many teams have a chance to prove themselves, Valve-sponsored tournaments have three stages.

• Opening Stage | March 17–20

Even getting here is an honor, so teams must fight to be among 16 participants. Then, they play in the Swiss System format. The top eight teams proceed further.

PGL Major Copenhagen 2024 Opening Stage Results

Eight teams that proceeded to the next stage are: HEROIC and Cloud9 (with 3:0s); Eternal Fire, ECSTATIC, and paiN Gaming (with 3:1s); Imperial Esports, The MongolZ, and FURIA Esports (with 3:2s).

• Elimination Stage | March 21–24

Eight more teams join those who survived the Opening Stage, so we have 16 participants again. After the Swiss System competition, the best eight teams proceed to the Playoffs.

PGL Major Copenhagen 2024 Elimination Stage Results

Eight teams to proceed to the Playoff Stage are MOUZ and Team Spirit (with 3:0s); Eternal Fire, Cloud9, and Team Vitality (with 3:1s); Natus Vincere, G2 Esports, and FaZe Clan (with 3:2s).

• Playoff Stage | March 28–31

Here we have single-elimination brackets, starting from the Quarter-Finals. No mistake is allowed, and the goal is totally worth the effort. The Playoff matches take place in Copenhagen, Denmark.

PGL Major Copenhagen 2024 Playoff Results

Natus Vincere won the tournament. The Ukrainian team is the first ever CS2 Major winner! They defeated Eternal Fire and G2 Esports on the way to the Grand Final. Their main opponent, FaZe Clan, eliminated two powerhouses: Team Spirit and Team Vitality. In the decisive match, NAVI won 2:1.

ESL Challenger

This series of Counter-Strike tournaments replaced DreamHack Open events in 2022.

This year, we have four ESL Challengers, happening from spring to late fall. Two of them are separate events, while two are parts of bigger gaming/esports gatherings, DreamHack.

The format of all these tournaments is identical:

• Group Stage

Eight teams are divided into two groups; they play in double-elimination brackets; the top two teams from each group proceed further.

• Playoffs

Single-elimination brackets, starting from Semi-Finals.

ESL Challenger #56

There are three ways for CS2 teams to participate in this event: get a high placement in ESL World Ranking around the middle of February (three teams), win a qualifier in different regions (four teams), or be a specially invited Local Hero. Winning the event means getting a ticket to ESL Pro League Season 20. This event will be held from April 26 to 28.

The prize pool of ESL Challenger #56 is $100,000.

ESL Challenger at DreamHack Summer 2024

One more slot at ESL Pro League Season 20 has been reserved for an ESL Challenger winner—for a team that succeeds at this tournament. This CS2 tournament is part of the big DreamHack Summer convention. It happens in Jönköping, Sweden on June 14–16.

Three participating teams are from March ESL World Ranking, and five come from smaller qualifiers (one of which is local).

The prize pool of ESL Challenger at DreamHack Summer 2024 is $100,000.

ESL Challenger at DreamHack Atlanta 2024

Starting with this ESL Challenger, the winner gets a ticket to ESL Pro League Season 21, which happens in 2025.

As part of another big DreamHack gathering, the tournament takes place in Atlanta, USA. One Local Hero, four qualifier winners, and three top teams in July ESL World Ranking fight here.

The prize pool of ESL Challenger at DreamHack Atlanta 2024 is $100,000.

ESL Challenger Katowice 2024

Once again the Counter-Strike community has a reason to visit Katowice, Poland. In late fall, the town hosts another CS2 event—still, smaller than IEM.

In addition to three top teams from September ESL World Ranking and four qualifier winners from different regions, one local team will be able to participate in ESL Challenger Katowice 2024—after a Polish qualifier. The winner will get a spot at ESL Pro League S21 and, sure, a piece of the prize pool.

The prize pool of ESL Challenger Katowice 2024 is $100,000.

ESL Pro League

This competitive series is also organized by ESL, a company behind Intel Extreme Masters.

Traditionally, ESL Pro League has two competitive seasons per year. In 2024, they are Season 19 and Season 20. Both have two stages of identical formats—triple-elimination brackets in the Group Stage (which is quite unusual) and Playoffs for the four top teams from four groups.

Let’s take a look at the schedule for both Seasons.

ESL Pro League Season 19

This event happens in spring 2024, with 32 participants. Only 16 teams will make it to the Playoffs, where the Season Champion will be determined in single-elimination brackets.

• Group Stage | Starts on April 23

• Playoffs | Ends on May 12

The prize pool of ESL Pro League Season 19 is $750,000.

ESL Pro League Season 20

It’s not hard to calculate that the 20th season is a 10-year milestone for the ESL Pro League, which is absolutely impressive. Perhaps winning the Champion title in the 2024 fall will feel like an especially prestigious achievement for CS2 esports teams. For the viewers, this means having potentially an even more spectacular show. Only the final Playoffs matches happen on stage, in Saint Julian’s, Malta.

The format of ESL Pro League Season 20 is identical to the previous one.

• Group Stage | Starts on September 3

• Playoffs | Ends on September 22

The prize pool of ESL Pro League Season 20 is $750,000.

Champion of Champions Tour Global Finals

This massive tour (May 16–25) has lots of qualifying tournaments all over the world. 16 teams participate in the event. The format and the location will be announced later.

The Global Finals’ prize pool is $500,000.

YaLLa Compass 2024

It’s a tournament for 12 teams who get their spots after multiple qualifiers. On-stage matches take place in Abu Dhabi, UAE on June 5-9.

• Group Stage

The format is Round Robin, so everyone plays with everyone. The top three teams in three groups proceed to the next stage.

• Playoffs

Matches are of the single-elimination format. Quarter-Finals are for third places (lower side) and runners-up (upper side) in groups. Group winners start playing from Semi-Finals.

The prize pool of YaLLa Compass 2024 is $400,000.

Perfect World Shanghai Major 2024

The competitive CS2 year will be logically completed with the second Valve-sponsored event in 2024. And also, this tournament is remarkable for its location—again, the competitive Counter-Strike 2 elite heads to China, which is great for making our gaming/esport family bigger (and certainly merrier).

Perfect World Shanghai Major 2024 has three stages, which is a traditional format for Valve-sponsored tournaments.

• Opening Stage | December 1–4

We will be able to witness matches of 16 contenders. It is quite possible that the competition will be of the Swiss System, like at PGL Major Copenhagen 2024, but that is not officially confirmed yet. Only eight teams remain in the tournament.

• Elimination Stage | December 6–9

And again, the number of participants is 16 teams—eight from the Opening Stage and eight with special invites. The format repeats the previous part of the event, and the eight top teams proceed to the Playoffs.

• Playoff Stage | December 11–15

We expect to see single-elimination brackets here, starting from Quarter-Finals. Who will be the ultimate Champion? The matches take place in Shanghai, China.

The prize pool is of the expected high level — $1,250,000.

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