ESL Announces Women’s CS:GO Tournament Circuit For 2022

The prominent tournament organizer ESL announced a new women’s Counter-Strike: Global Offensive circuit, set to take place in 2022. As revealed, the new circuit will feature a prize pool of $500,000 and two online leagues, culminating with LAN finals.

The introduction of a women’s circuit marks a new stepping stone in the Counter-Strike: Global Offensive esports scene. The new circuit falls under the wing of the #GGFORALL initiative, alongside other programs related to in-game toxic behavior.

The circuit is set to launch in January 2022 with two online cash cups, with competitions and tournaments said to continue throughout the entire year. As revealed by ESL, the circuit will have a prize pool of $500,000, two online league sessions with LAN finals, online cups running throughout the 12 months, and stand-alone tournaments organized by DreamHack.

The revealed schedule for 2022 will include:

• Monthly cash cups (Jan-December)
• Two online leagues for EU&NA (March-May and August-October)
• League Finals at DreamHack Dallas (Jun 3-5)
• Stand-alone tournament at DreamHack Valencia (July 1-3)
• League Finals at DreamHack Winter (November 25-27)

“At ESL Gaming, we truly believe in a world where everybody can be somebody, so going back to the grassroots level and creating an all-new ecosystem to ensure ambitious women CS:GO players are given equal chances is a great spet forward,” said Brian Kramer, General Manager at ESL Gaming.

The main component of the women’s CS:GO esports circuit comes in the form of two regional leagues for North America and Europe. The regional league will feature eight teams from each region fighting for the lion’s share of the $75,000 prize pool per season.

The top three teams from each league will receive a direct bye for the LAN finals, set to occur during DreamHack Dallas and Winter on June 3-5 and November 25-27, respectively. The six teams from Europe and North America will be joined by two squads that will qualify from South America and Asia.

DreamHack will serve as the main tournament organizer for the new women’s circuit and will also host stand-alone tournaments featuring eight teams and a $100,000 prize pool. Unfortunately, there isn’t much information available about these tournaments, but we know that each will welcome eight teams that will enter the event either by qualification or direct invites.

The first of these offline events is the DreamHack Valencia. It will take place on July 1-3, between the two league seasons, set to run between March-May and August-October.

“By providing an infrastructure equal to their male counterparts, we are thrilled to create more visibility and opportunities for women in the esports space, as well as support them in their professional development and to help make their dreams come true,” said Roberta Hernandez, the SVP People and Culture at ESL Gaming.

While the leagues and offline events are the main talking point about the newly-introduced circuit, there will be more action for the fans to follow. As revealed by ESL, the leagues and offline events will be accompanied by a series of online cash cups.

These cash cups will take place every month of the year on ESEA. Each will have a prize pool of $4,000, split across the four regions in Europe, North America, Asia-Pacific, and South America.

“We strive to achieve an environment where discrimination and toxicity is removed. We believe in a world where everyone has the right to enjoy the game they love, the right to play, to participate and progress,” read ESL’s statement.

“From grassroots grinders, casual gamers, and elite pro athletes – we believe all players deserve equal respect, support and opportunity. That is why we’re launching a global coalition of leading brands and teams united beneath a new rallying cry within the esports community to address these issues.”

The new circuit will kick off in January with the first ESEA online cash cup. More information about the dates, teams, and format should become available in the coming weeks.