ESL has updated the map pool across all ESL Pro Tour competitions. The change reflects Valve’s recent decision to remove Overpass from the Active Duty rotation and add Cache in its place.
The update applies immediately to every ESL Pro Tour event.
When Cache First Appears in ESL Events
The first ESL tournament to use the new map pool will be the opening European cup of the ESL Challenger League Season 52 series. That cup runs from July 12 to July 14.
Cache is not new to Counter-Strike. It has already returned to competitive play at lower tiers, with matches recorded in CCT and the European Pro League before ESL’s switch was confirmed.
Cache Makes Its Tier-One Debut at XSE Pro League
Cache will reach the top level of competition before ESL’s own events get there. The map will make its tier-one debut at the XSE Pro League, which starts on July 1 in Guangzhou, China.
The event runs from July 1 to July 12, with $1 million in prize money on offer. It also marks the competitive return of several rosters, including PARIVISION, FaZe, and MIBR, alongside Major quarter-finalists 9z and BetBoom.
BLAST Also Moves Quickly on the New Map Pool
ESL is not the only organizer adjusting its events. BLAST confirmed on June 26 that it would shift to the new map pool for most of its upcoming events and qualifiers. There is an exception. An NA qualifier that took place just days after Valve announced the change kept the old pool in place.
Teams competing at the XSE Pro League will be among the first to test Cache under tier-one conditions, ahead of ESL’s own competitions catching up in mid-July.
