CS:GO with a half-million in IEM Katowice 2020

One of the biggest events in CS:GO is back. IEM Katowice 2020 is announced along with its scheduled plans. Spodek Arena Katowice, Poland is going to be hosting the tournament.  A prize pool of $500 thousand will be up for grabs. The set date of the event is February 28 to March 1 in 2020 and tickets go on sale late October.

This year, Katowice was considered a CS:GO major event. However, next year’s Katowice isn’t the same. Next year’s event will be the first of two upper-level tournaments that features in the ESL Pro Tour Global Circuit. With ESL One Cologne being the second.

Katowice 2020 features 16 professional teams fighting for the title. Regional qualifiers determine six teams and ten are invited directly.

Tournament format:

• Two GSL groups of eight teams
• Group winners seeded directly into the semifinals
• Group runners-up play third-placed teams in the first round of playoffs

Katowice’s Spodek Arena is a historical place for CS:GO esports. And for many reasons. ESL Vice President of professional gaming and head of the IEM series Michal Blicharz explained in 2018.

“Katowice is the birthplace of modern Counter-Strike,” Blicharz says. “The very first Major was held by Dreamhack and it was in a smaller space, typical of Dreamhack Winter, which, by the way, are always very good events. Year on year they’ve always retained a level of prestige but Katowice was the first event that really took CSGO to that scale, where people go ‘Holy shit!’. We have the good bracket fortune, as the tournament organizers always say of Virtus.pro playing Ninjas in Pyjamas in the grand final – 10,000 throats screaming ‘Virtus.pro! Virtus.pro!’ Until this day gives me shivers because that was just something…”

Giving fans insight on organizing and constructing a Major, Luckbox produced a film. It provides people with a sense of appreciation, knowing how hard ESL and their partners work to make events happen.

ESL Katowice 2020 is around the corner of 2019. Professional players are dead-set on making a name for themselves. Fans are right behind them, supporting their favorite teams.

Players and fans alike, we are all excited for what’s to come.

Written by Luna