Explaining the complex system behind the ESL Pro Tour

The competitive Counter-Strike: Global Offensive landscape in 2020 features unprecedented tournament density, with the ESL Pro Tour serving as the premier organizational framework connecting these events.

This groundbreaking partnership between ESL and DreamHack creates a unified tournament circuit that launched in September 2019. Understanding this system’s mechanics provides teams with strategic advantages throughout the competitive season.

The EPT establishes three distinct competitive tiers:

• Challenger Tournaments
• Masters Tournaments
• Masters Championships, referred to as Championships for clarity

Challenger events function as development platforms where emerging teams challenge established CS:GO squads. Tournaments offering prize pools below $250,000 automatically qualify as Challenger level competitions.

Masters tournaments represent the professional circuit where elite teams compete in major venues for substantial prize money alongside qualifiers from Challenger events.

Championships constitute ESL’s equivalent to CS:GO Majors, featuring IEM Katowice 2020 and ESL One Cologne 2020. These biannual events in spring and summer showcase premier competitive Counter-Strike.

While the basic structure appears straightforward, the qualification pathways contain significant complexity that teams must master.

The foundation begins with three core Challenger level competitions:

• ESL National Championships
• DreamHack Open Tournaments
• Mountain Dew League

ESL National Championships form the entry point. Victory in these national competitions grants access to either DreamHack Open tournaments or Mountain Dew League slots, with winners advancing to Masters level competition.

Consider the German ESL Meisterschaft champion qualifying for DreamHack Open Leipzig. The Leipzig winner then secures automatic qualification for DreamHack Masters Jönköping.

Each tournament connects directly to specific higher-level events, creating a chain-like progression system. For semi-professional teams, the competitive journey initiates at National Championship level.

The system introduces additional complexity through the ESL Pro European Championship. National Tournament victors qualify for EPEC, where winning provides LAN qualifier spots for both Championships, representing a major opportunity for competing organizations.

EPEC champions bypass the extensive qualification ladder, avoiding multiple National Championships, DreamHack Opens, and Masters tournaments to compete at Katowice or Cologne directly.

Strategic Insight: Teams should prioritize National Championships that offer qualification pathways to tournaments aligning with their competitive strengths and regional advantages.

The Mountain Dew League and DreamHack Open tournaments constitute the intermediate progression tier. National Championship success provides access to either Mountain Dew League participation or specific DreamHack Open Tournament invitations.

DreamHack Open victories lead directly to Masters tournament qualification. Mountain Dew League champions earn slots in ESL Pro League, classified as Masters level within the Pro Tour structure.

Masters level competition encompasses four primary tournament brands:

• ESL One
• DreamHack Masters
• Intel Extreme Masters
• ESL Pro League

Upon reaching Masters level, teams face two ultimate destinations: ESL One Cologne or IEM Katowice, collectively known as Championships.

Teams secure direct Championship invitations by winning Masters events. Similar to National Championship qualification pathways, each Masters tournament connects to a specific Championship event.

Fnatic’s victory at DreamHack Masters Malmo 2019 earned them direct qualification for IEM Katowice.

This structure enables semi-pro teams to compete through National Championships into Mountain Dew League and DreamHack Open tournaments. These developing squads then join established professional teams at DreamHack Masters competitions and ESL Pro League events.

Tournament winners and ESL Pro League Finals champions receive direct Championship invitations. Remaining Championship positions depend on multiple factors, primarily accumulated ESL Pro Tour points.

Common Pitfall: Teams often underestimate the importance of tournament selection strategy. Choosing events that offer direct pathways to Championships aligned with team capabilities significantly impacts qualification success.

Advanced teams should consult our Battlefield 6 Complete Guide for cross-game competitive insights that can enhance strategic planning.

Team rankings operate through the ESL Pro Tour Ranking system, determined by point accumulation over twelve months. Points originate exclusively from Pro Tour tournaments and the two annual CS:GO Majors.

Different tournament levels and types carry distinct point values. Challenger tournament point distributions vary by event category, with DreamHack Opens offering maximum points and National Championships providing minimum returns.

Championships and Masters tournaments maintain fixed point values, though Masters events divide into two classifications based on participant numbers. Sixteen-team tournaments yield higher point values than eight-team competitions.

Championship qualification sees top eight ranked teams advancing directly to group stages, while positions nine through sixteen enter LAN qualifiers.

Following Championship conclusion, point totals persist with one critical modification: points earned toward the initial Championship retain only 50% value for subsequent Championship qualification.

“Points from all Masters and Challenger tournaments count toward both Masters Championships. Tournaments provide full point value for the nearest Championship and half value for the following Championship,” according to ESL officials.

This mechanism prevents teams from leveraging exceptional half-year performances to secure back-to-back Championship qualifications. Sustained competitive consistency becomes essential for Championship event participation.

Valve Majors count as Championship-level events for point purposes, regardless of organizing entity. Majors represent the sole exception to standard point calculation rules.

Optimization Tip: Teams should strategically schedule participation in high-point-value tournaments preceding Championship qualification periods to maximize ranking positions.

The Intel Grand Slam constitutes a separate achievement track monitoring ESL Pro Tour victory totals, offering $1 million bonuses for achieving specific victory thresholds within defined periods.

Following Team Liquid’s second season Intel Grand Slam victory in 63 days, regulations underwent significant revision to current standards.

Intel Grand Slam qualification requires accomplishing one of two achievement paths:

• Win any six ESL Pro Tour Masters tournaments across ten consecutive events
• Win four ESL Pro Tour Masters tournaments within ten events AND achieve victory in one of:
  • Win IEM Katowice
  • ESL One Cologne
  • An ESL or DreamHack-hosted Major

Additional regulations govern roster changes and previous season performances, though the above qualifications represent the primary achievement requirements.

The ESL Pro Tour represents one of several major tournament circuits organizers established to dominate the competitive Counter-Strike landscape. The Pro Tour already distributed direct IEM Katowice invitations to Fnatic, Astralis, and mousesports following three 2019 events.

Strategic Consideration: Teams pursuing the Intel Grand Slam should coordinate their BF6 Weapons Unlock strategies to maintain competitive edge across multiple tournament systems.

No reproduction without permission：Games Guides Website » Explaining the complex system behind the ESL Pro Tour Master the ESL Pro Tour's competitive ladder system from grassroots to championship glory