Are you looking forward to CS GO tournaments in the near future? If yes, then get ready to find out information about dates, participants and related information about all upcoming events in 2020-2021.
Let's say right away that this year a real eSports hell is happening, since the course of the competition has been seriously complicated and its rules have been tightened. The teams that participated in the first major championship in May 2020 have already seen this.
Generally speaking, major organizers are now one step closer to creating a professional tournament system, combining individual championships into full-fledged series.
Schedule of Major tournaments for 2020
Since the first half of the year has long passed, and harsh autumn is upon us, we see no point in talking about past events.
It is enough that the first stage of regional qualifications will take place in September, regional tournaments will take place in October, and CS:GO Major Championship Autumn 2020 is planned to be held from November 2 to November 15.
The most high-profile events include the merger of DreamHack and ESL. The two organizations will now launch a joint network of qualifying and tournament matches. Top teams will compete for championship in the Masters league, while lesser-known but ambitious players will compete in the Challengers series. For the latter, the organizers have significantly simplified the qualifications this year by moving them online.
At the same time, the ESL Pro Tour has significantly limited the teams that are going to play in this tournament. Perhaps they will even be prohibited from traveling to other competitions, which will completely ruin the free calendar schedule for building the next season.
ESL Pro Tour 2020 is interesting with the following events:
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October 16-18 – DreamHack Open Rotterdam / Challenger
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October 30 — November 1 – DreamHack Open Hyderabad / Challenger
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November 27-29 – DreamHack Open Winter / Challenger
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December 11-13 – DreamHack Open Sevilla / Challenger
BLAST Pro Series personnel changes
The strong tightening of the rules on the part of ESL looks at least unusual given the fact that it is not a monopolist in terms of holding tournaments. Even adjusting the regulations doesn’t help the situation much, because a direct competitor is breathing in the back — BLAST Pro Series.
Last year they already held their own series of local mini-championships in various cities around the world. The teams worked in more than favorable conditions: earning tournament points, reaching the finals, and a global prize fund. Everything is as simple and accessible as possible, without pitfalls.
The schedule as a whole looks like this:
BLAST Premier Fall 2020
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September – Regular season
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October – Additional Showdown Tournament
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November – Finale of the spring season
BLAST Premier: Global Final 2020
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November-December – Final tournament 2020
In other words, ESL's claim to a monopoly looks unconvincing, to say the least. Professional teams already have a good alternative at their disposal in the form of BLAST, but local and beginner teams are now in limbo: they may not have enough space in the updated competition grid. And such statistics will probably extend into 2021.
At the same time, FACEIT and StarLadder are forced to shift their plans, since their events are practically not announced in 2020, and this is not the most positive call for the current season. And the pandemic situation has made tough adjustments — CS:GO is moving from side to side this year, because the ban on holding mass championships in 90% of cases hurts teams, organizers and sponsors.
What awaits us in 2021
While ESL, BLAST and DreamHack are convulsing, Valve has already announced the schedule of Major tournaments for the coming 2021. What’s noteworthy is that the time of their holding will change:
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The first one is scheduled for May;
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The second is scheduled for November, respectively.
Information about this has already been sent to all tournament operators who have expressed their desire to become official intermediaries between PRO gamers.
Separately, Valve noted that tournaments should be held in a way that is convenient, first of all, for players and spectators. In other words, the start of events should take place later than 23.00 Moscow time.
Moreover, now all organizers must hold Minor tournaments in the same place as the Majors. Firstly, they become a full-fledged part of the main tournament. Secondly, in this way Valve plans to solve problems with flights, visas and other transfer problems, due to which some players may simply not be allowed to cross the border.
Last change — correction of the timing of Majors. They will last two weeks instead of three, since some group matches will be parallel.
