ESL has been one of the greatest, if not the greatest, tournament organizers for Counter-Strike throughout multiple iterations of the game. They are known for hosting popular events, especially the Intel Extreme Masters and Pro League.
As they have continued to bring memorable events, ESL has laid out its plans for Counter-Strike for 2028, well in advance of the 2025 season’s conclusion. According to the Tweet, ESL plans to run 6 events in 2028 that will be part of the ESL Pro Tour for Tier 1 of competitive CS2.
Many critics continue to double down on the fact that CS2 is a dead game despite a thriving player base and competitive scene. Major TOs like ESL expanding their plans years in advance goes to show how much the industry has faith in what others consider to be running on its last legs.
ESL’s 2028 event schedule is as follows:
- Event #1 – January 26-Feb 6
- Event #2 – March 3-19
- Event #3 – April 10-16
- Event #4 – August 2-13
- Event #5 – September 16-October 1
- Event #6 – October 23-29
These events are announced for Tier 1 alone, but ESL has been known to be active in the lower tiers of competition, where we find lesser-known teams and academy rosters. While the announcement doesn’t cover said areas of competition, we can only assume that ESL plans to continue organizing events for up-and-comers.