Thanks to generous sponsorships, rich prize funds, and a growing number of spectators and fans, the biggest CS: GO tournaments have become leaders on the eSports scene.
Top professionals dominate both the game and the CS: GO tournaments, winning prizes that are unimaginable for us mortals.
If we go back to the history of sports betting and see how it developed, could anyone have guessed that CS: GO tournaments would stand side by side with numerous world events and competitions, despite the fact that eSports have not yet been recognized as a sport? And did anyone believe that the CS: GO video game would be one of the most popular eSports in the world? There were no indications, we admit. However, a combination of circumstances, as well as the popularity of the game itself, have led to the biggest CS: GO tournaments becoming some of the most important events on the eSports scene. Thanks to that, the best professional CS: GO teams organize spectacles for us every year, which are visited by tens of thousands of fiery spectators.
The Biggest CS: GO tournaments – The Crown of the Esports Scene
Just as football has World and European Championship, so eSports has tournaments of such renown, among which CS: GO tournaments dominate. These are the biggest competitions in which the best eSports players earn a lot of money and show their knowledge and skills in the game.
It is time to get acquainted with the biggest CS: GO tournaments that all eSports fans talk about…
CS: GO Major Championship
The CS: GO Major Championship is one of the most popular and largest CS: GO tournaments. It was first held in Sweden in 2013. From the very beginning, this tournament could boast of a large prize fund, which today amounts to more than $ 2 million.
Twenty-four teams from all over the world are participating in the tournament. In the world of eSports, this tournament is recognized as one of the biggest and most important competitions on the stage. The current champion is Astralis – the team that is a four-time event winner and the team with the most success in the history of CS: GO.
The Major is an event that is followed by most bettors who immensely trust their favorites. This year’s event will be held in Stockholm from October 23 to November 7, at the Ericsson Globe Arena. The best-ranked eSports online bookmakers here (on the same platform you can find the best ranked online bookmakers for other sports such as football, cricket…) will prepare some of the best odds for all ardent fans of CS: GO.
CS: GO S-Tier Events
Before they were called S-Tier events, these tournaments were known as Premier tournaments. The best CS: GO players from all over the world take part in the S-Tier events because these events are held everywhere – from Europe, through North America,
Asia, and Australia. The biggest CS: GO tournaments are the biggest not only because of the cash prizes but also because of the strength of the teams and the number of participants competing in them.
Some of the biggest S-Tier tournaments with more than great cash prizes held during 2024 were:
- ESL: One Rio 2024 – $ 2,000,000 cash prize
- ESL: One Cologne 2024 – $ 2,000,000 cash prize
- Flashpoint Season 1 & 2 – $ 1,000,000 cash prize per season
- World Electronic Sports Games – $ 1,000,000 cash prize
- ESL Pro League – $ 750,000 cash prize
CS: GO A-Tier Events
A-Tier tournaments have a large prize pool, but not like the Major Championship and S-Tier events. The most famous are the CS: GO Minor Championships and the Regional Major Ranking events.
As we said, the prize fund is more than satisfactory, and these events are held in:
- North America
- South America
- Europe
- China
- Middle East
The last two events represent the deciding factor for the qualification of the teams at the CS: GO Major Championship.
CS: GO B-Tier Events
These are LAN events and online tournaments consisting of two teams from the highest level. Although smaller in scope, there are special regional events in the main standings as qualifiers for teams wishing to compete for the title at the CS: GO Major. The cash prize for these events can range from a few thousand to a few hundred thousand dollars.
Tournaments are held around the world, in:
- North America
- Europe
- Asia
- Australia
Although there are no top teams that compete in major events and championships here, the action is at the highest level in these tournaments as well.
European Championship
The European Championship is being held, as its name suggests, in Europe, and 16 teams are participating. The top three teams share a $ 30,000 prize pool – of which $ 17,500 goes to the team that wins first place, $ 7,500 goes to the team that wins second place, and $ 2,500 goes to the third-placed team.
Teams competing here are selected through a direct invitation and compete in a double-elimination format in group rounds. According to this system, the 2 best teams from each group advance to the playoffs, where they compete in the format of individual elimination in the best of 3 series.
Intel Extreme Masters
The IEM is a series of sporting events held in several countries. These events are conducted by ESL (Electronic Sports League) and sponsored by Intel. These tournaments are organized by CS: GO and Starcraft II competitions. The prize pool is about $ 1 million.
This event is held during the season in many countries – in the United States, Australia, and China, while the finals are held in Poland.
Each season includes several tournaments in different countries, and the best compete at the IEM World Championship at the end of the season. This tournament is undoubtedly one of the biggest ones in CS: GO, both in terms of the prize fund and the viewership.
CS: GO C-Tier Events
These are smaller tournaments that do not attract large audiences, therefore neither sponsors nor top teams because the prize fund is significantly smaller than in other tournaments. These events are mostly held online and are a great choice for all players who want to hone their skills and stand out on the CS: GO scene.
CS: GO video game has an incredible history, and we believe that an even more incredible future awaits it, considering that the rise of eSports is unstoppable. The biggest CS: GO tournaments continue to attract more and more spectators and participants, conquering almost the entire globe. There is no fear for them.