Counter-Strike: Global Offensive – ESL https://esl.com Feel the passion for esports Wed, 08 Jun 2022 12:18:32 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.8.5 https://esl.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/ESL-Favicon-green-512-150x150.png Counter-Strike: Global Offensive – ESL https://esl.com 32 32 Historic ESL Pro League Partnership extended until at least 2025 https://esl.com/article/historic-esl-pro-league-partnership-extended-until-at-least-2025/ https://esl.com/article/historic-esl-pro-league-partnership-extended-until-at-least-2025/#respond Mon, 17 Jan 2022 11:23:09 +0000 https://esl.com/blog/2022/01/historic-esl-pro-league-partnership-extended-until-at-least-2025/ The Commissioner of the ESL Pro League, Alex Inglot, has announced today that the Louvre Agreement, the groundbreaking partnership between ESL Gaming and 14 of the top teams in CS:GO, has been unanimously extended until at least the end of 2025.

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The Commissioner of the ESL Pro League, Alex Inglot, has announced today that the Louvre Agreement, the groundbreaking partnership between ESL Gaming and 14 of the top teams in CS:GO, has been unanimously extended until at least the end of 2025.

The news of the Louvre Agreement’s extension follows it’s recently announced expansion, which saw esports teams BIG and Furia join the partnership. This means that Astralis, BIG, Complexity, Evil Geniuses, ENCE, FaZe Clan, Fnatic, Furia, G2 Esports, Mousesports, Natus Vincere, Ninjas in Pyjamas, Team Liquid, Team Vitality, and leading tournament organiser ESL Gaming, will jointly govern and grow the ESL Pro League until at least 2025.

What is the Louvre Agreement and what’s in the extension?

The 2020 Louvre Agreement is a groundbreaking deal between ESL Gaming and some of the biggest teams in esports. Via the agreement, the members steer the growth of the ESL Pro League. Together, they establish new structures to help stakeholder input and distribute of the leagues’ revenues in a way that supports team stability; all while exploring commercial opportunities together to further develop the future of the EPL.

Today’s extension marks a point of confidence and ambition in the Louvre Agreement, and a commitment from all 15 members that this is a venture they want to invest in for the long haul. But it is not only an extension in years; it includes the opportunity for higher revenues for each of the Member Teams and a tangible commitment and redoubling of efforts in the North American scene. The extension also brings a vote of confidence for the recently launched CS:GO Hub, an integrated analysis and coaching tool, as well as a forum where the long-term viability of new joint ventures, such as a CSGO-focused NFT strategy, can be further discussed.

What does it mean for the ESL Pro League?

Alex Inglot, Commissioner of the ESL Pro League, said:

“Despite the global challenges and uncertainties of the last 24 months, I’m proud that together we have created something so dynamic for the CS:GO ecosystem. The Louvre Agreement is a manifestation of a joint desire to create a sustainable yet ambitious framework within CS:GO – one that can serve to positively impact and influence the rest of the ecosystem.

This extension was agreed on unanimously, which reiterates the partner’s joint dedication to our goals of a peerless competition for fans, a stable environment for teams and players, and an attractive destination for investment. There is so much we can achieve now that we are working on a time scale of 2025 and beyond.”

Ralf Reichert, ESL Gaming Co-CEO added:

“Extending the Louvre Agreement is an incredible milestone for our partner teams and ESL. We are very excited to continue to build what we started and intensify our cooperation with the teams across our consumer-facing projects like our CS:GO platforms and other digital initiatives.

As partners the teams have brought the ESL Pro League to a whole new level, and having this agreement extended ensures a balanced governance and decision-making infrastructure for years to come.”

Victor Goossens, Founder and Co-CEO of Team Liquid, who are a partner team of the Louvre Agreement, commented on the extension saying:

“Extending the Louvre Agreement is such a momentous occasion for competitive CS:GO. Not only does it symbolise a commitment by the partner teams to grow the competitive CS:GO space, it’s also a force-for-good in the joint efforts to strengthen the North American CS:GO ecosystem. It’s a display of what we can build together. We play in many different leagues –  the LCS, DreamLeague, EPIC League and many more – but for us, the Louvre Agreement is what makes the ESL Pro League special. We built it, we’re part of it, and now we’re watching it grow. It’s a very fulfilling process and we’re excited to see what this does across the industry.”

]]> https://esl.com/article/historic-esl-pro-league-partnership-extended-until-at-least-2025/feed/ 0 The new way into MDL via the ESL National Championships https://esl.com/article/the-new-way-into-mdl-via-the-esl-national-championships/ https://esl.com/article/the-new-way-into-mdl-via-the-esl-national-championships/#respond Thu, 09 Aug 2018 09:45:43 +0000 https://esl.com/blog/2018/08/the-new-way-into-mdl-via-the-esl-national-championships/ Starting with the Relegation for MDL Season 30.

]]> Introducing a new way for all European ESL National Championship CS:GO Teams to qualify for the MDL – the Climber Cup.

In the current system, the five strongest European nations get the chance to play their way into the MDL. But beginning with the Relegation for MDL Season 30, there will a online tournament, the Climber Cup, taking place before the Relegation kicks off. In that tournament, each European country with an ESL operated National Championship will be represented by one team. The best teams from that competition will then move on to the MDL Relegation to fight for a spot in the next season.

The list of countries currently eligible for the pre-Relegation tournament are:

  • Poland
  • DACH region (Germany, Austria & Switzerland)
  • France
  • UK
  • Spain
  • Netherlands
  • Belgium
  • Italy
  • Turkey
  • South-East-Europe
  • Czech Republic and Slovakia

The team that will be eligible from each National Championship will be the best ranked team that has use for the slot (meaning that teams that already hold a slot for EPL, MDL or MDL Relegation will be skipped and the next best team from the same region will inherit it). The eligible team will then join the next possible Climber Cup event for their chance to advance to the MDL.

This means the top four teams from the ESEA Advanced division will still qualify for the MDL relegation tournament identically to the previous season. Make sure your team doesn’t miss out on the ESEA League by registering before September 3rd. More information about the ESEA League is available here.

You think you got what it takes to make in into the MDL? Then be sure to check out whether there’s a National Championship on ESL Play for your home country!

]]> https://esl.com/article/the-new-way-into-mdl-via-the-esl-national-championships/feed/ 0 Esport Hall of Fame inductee Ksharp: It`s a great honor https://esl.com/article/esport-hall-of-fame-inductee-ksharp-its-a-great-honor/ https://esl.com/article/esport-hall-of-fame-inductee-ksharp-its-a-great-honor/#respond Fri, 03 Aug 2018 12:58:35 +0000 https://esl.com/blog/2018/08/esport-hall-of-fame-inductee-ksharp-its-a-great-honor/ We interviewed the upcoming Hall of Famer.

]]> The first American CS player in the ESL Hall of Fame presented by paysafecard loves Rocket League, Skadoodle and was surprise to learn of his own induction.

What was your reaction when you found out that you would be inducted into the ESL Hall of Fame presented by paysafecard?
I was very surprised.  I knew Heaton had been inducted and there are so many legends from those days that are deserving to be in the hall of fame. It was nothing I would have ever dreamed about even when I was competing back in the day, so for it to be happening now is kind of surreal.

You are the first American CS player to be inducted – how do you feel about that?
It’s something I’m very proud of.  I think I always tried to do my best to represent America in and out of the game and hopefully the fans feel I did an okay job. There are so many fantastic American players that I have no doubt will be in the Hall of Fame some day and I’m just happy to be among them.

What does being inducted into the ESL Hall of Fame presented by paysafecard mean to you?
I feel it’s a great honor and to know that I left a mark on Counter-Strike and esports.  Counter-strike is such a legendary game with so many great competitors across all the versions and years.  I have no doubt that there will be teammates and rivals who will be joining me in the years to come and I’m very much looking forward to seeing it all happen.

What have you been doing since you retired?
I’ve done quite a lot since I stopped actively competing but most recently I’ve had the chance to work on the business side of esports.  It’s been a lot of fun getting to stay involved in some capacity with Counter-Strike and gaming since it’s literally been in my life for almost 2 decades now. I’m an avid Hearthstone Arena player and dabble in Rocket League. I follow the pro scene in CS as much as I can and love rooting for my favorite players, f0rest and Skadoodle.
I’m extremely grateful for the opportunities that Counter-Strike has given me throughout the years and I couldn’t be happier that it is still going strong as the best esport ever!

If you could give one piece of advice to aspiring professional gamers of today: What would that be?
Find a game you really enjoy because it takes an incredible amount of time to become a pro at pretty much any game these days.  If you’re not having fun, it’s going to be almost impossible to become successful.

About the ESL Hall of Fame presented by paysafecard

The ESL Hall of Fame presented by paysafecard will honor competitors, contributors and great moments from the history of esport. Located in Cologne, Germany, it will induct several persons every year to honor their achievements during the rise of competitive gaming.

http://esportshall.com/

]]> https://esl.com/article/esport-hall-of-fame-inductee-ksharp-its-a-great-honor/feed/ 0 Who could have seen this coming – ESL One Cologne delivered the unexpected https://esl.com/article/who-could-have-seen-this-coming-esl-one-cologne-delivered-the-unexpected/ https://esl.com/article/who-could-have-seen-this-coming-esl-one-cologne-delivered-the-unexpected/#respond Fri, 03 Aug 2018 12:58:31 +0000 https://esl.com/blog/2018/08/who-could-have-seen-this-coming-esl-one-cologne-delivered-the-unexpected/ The Grand Final nobody could have predicted!

]]> ESL One Cologne 2018 powered by Intel had it all! With all eyes on the Intel Grand Slam and its main title chasers Astralis and FaZe Clan, it would be two unexpected teams that would write the headlines and steal the show. Both Natus Vincere and the hometown heroes from BIG were having none of the hype for the favorites, eliminating them in the semi finals respectively before Na’Vi eventually crowned their performance with with a 3-1 Grand Finals victory over BIG.

Results

Group A

Group B

Playoffs

Tournament Highlights

Thank you!
Once again, the atmosphere in the LANXESS arena blew everything out of proportion thanks to the teams, players, crew, and fans who created this one-of-a-kind festival of Counter-Strike! But that wasn’t all, as there are more tournaments coming up: ESL One New York powered by Intel, and ESL Pro League Season 8 Finals in Odense. Let’s see you again soon!

 

]]> https://esl.com/article/who-could-have-seen-this-coming-esl-one-cologne-delivered-the-unexpected/feed/ 0 Introducing the new system for determining groups for the ESL Pro League Season 6 finals https://esl.com/article/introducing-the-new-system-for-determining-groups-for-the-esl-pro-league-season-6-finals-2/ Mon, 20 Nov 2017 14:45:01 +0000 https://esl.com/blog/2017/11/introducing-the-new-system-for-determining-groups-for-the-esl-pro-league-season-6-finals-2/ See how the groups for the season finals in Odense will be determined.

]]> The online portion of ESL Pro League’s sixth season is now over and we know all of the teams who secured a spot in the finals taking place this December in Odense, Denmark. After 7 intense weeks of exciting matches, we are ready to welcome the very best EU and NA teams to the land of pølse to determine who will take the lion’s share of the US$1,000,000 prize pool and a win counting towards the Intel Grand Slam.

Determining groups

The groups will be determined on November 22 at 20:00 CET! Be sure to follow ESL CS on Twitter for live coverage.

We are introducing a new system of determining groups which was suggested by players themselves at the player meeting at the season 5 finals in Dallas. Let’s break down how it works!

The winners of the online season get placed into both groups as group heads. The groups will be called „yellow“ and „red“ for the time being, the league administration will decide later which group will be „Group A“ and which will be „Group B“. The online season winner of the region that won the last finals then decides if they are “Y1” (1st seed in the yellow group) or “R1” (1st seed in the red group). Then, selection process takes place as follows:

  1. Y1 selects R2
  2. R1 selects Y2
  3. R2 selects Y3
  4. Y2 selects R3
  5. Y3 selects R4
  6. R3 selects Y4
  7. R4 selects Y5
  8. Y4 selects R5
  9. Y5 selects R6
  10. The remaining team is Y6

See you in Odense!

It looks like we have one exciting tournament ahead of us! Remember to follow ESL CS on Twitter and Facebook for all updates, as well as on YouTube for all matches.

 

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