With legions of fans across the world, it’s no surprise that Counter-Strike: Global Offensive enjoys impressive coverage when it comes to live tournaments. Every year, there are dozens of international tournament fixtures to keep fans entertained. If you’re happy to tune in remotely, you can enjoy live coverage of a huge variety of events, ranging from minor league match-ups to thrilling finals with world heavyweights coming together. Below, we spotlight 8 must-see CS:GO tournaments to watch out for in 2022.
1. Intel Extreme Masters XVI
The Intel Extreme Masters is one of the most established CS:GO tournaments on the planet. In fact, it’s the longest-running professional gaming tournament of any kind. Established in 2006, it continues to bring together the best international players from across the globe. There will be two IEM tournaments in 2022, with the first being running from February 15th to 27th in Katowice. The top prize is an impressive 400,000 US dollars, with CS:GO stalwarts like Natus Vincere and Gambit Esports set to be in attendance.
2. Intel Extreme Masters XVII
The IEMXVI will be swiftly followed by the XVII tournament in Cologne. Running from July 15th to July 17th, this promising tournament will see 24 teams come together to do battle for a share of the million-dollar prize pool.
3. ESL Pro League Tour Season 15
If you prefer the thrill of short-form CS:GO tournaments, the ESL Pro League is worth investigating in 2022. There are two ESL Pro League tournaments in 2022, with the first kicking off in Malta. The group stages commence on Mar 9th, before the playoff stages get going on April 5th. No less than 34 of the best teams will come together for this pro-level tournament, with crowd favorites including Astralis, Big, and Complexity all set to compete for a slice of the 850,000 dollar prize pool.
4. ESL Pro League Tour Season 16
Once the dust settles in Malta, it’s time for the next big fixture from the ESL Pro League. Season 16 will kick off on August 31st, with the action unfolding throughout September before reaching a thrilling conclusion on October 2nd.
5. ESL DreamHack Tournaments
You don’t have to be part of a pro-level team to participate in CS:GO tournaments. The ESL DreamHack initiative has been going strong since 2016, opening up the playing field to Global Offensive fans from all age groups and backgrounds. In 2022, will be no less than 9 different ESL DreamHack tournaments, with each event offering an impressive 100,000 dollar prize pool.
6. ESEA Tournaments
If you’re looking for CS:GO event coverage throughout the year, ESEA tournaments are bound to keep you busy. As of December 2021, five individual events have been confirmed as taking place in 2022. The ESEA Open S40, ESEA Main S40, ESEA Advanced S40, and ESEA Intermediate S40 all kick off on March 1st. On May 1st, the ESEA Relegation S40 commences. More ESEA tournaments are promised, but further dates have yet to be confirmed. You can keep an eye out for newly added dates by keeping an eye on the CSGO schedule here.
7. BLAST Premier Series
If you’re looking for action-packed competition with the best teams from across the planet, the BLAST Premier Series is worth your time. This tournament brings together the finest international CS:GO teams across half a dozen tournaments scattered throughout the year. All this builds up to a world final with an estimated prize pool of 250,000 US dollars.
8. Global Esports Tour
This is a fairly new addition to the CS:GO tournaments schedule, but well worth adding to your viewing list if you’re keen to discover new teams and future Global Offensive favorites. This tournament will be held in Dubai in March 2022, with a focus on some of the best Middle Eastern teams around.