IEM Sydney 2023 will be the first CS2 event organized by ESL

ESL has just revealed that, starting October 2 during the launch of ESL ANZ Champs 2023 Season 2, its tournaments will make the shift to the latest version of Counter-Strike. These events will adhere to the MR12 format, mirroring the in-game experience for players.

All upcoming #ESLProTour and #ESLImpact tournaments will transition to Counter-Strike 2! 🧵 pic.twitter.com/cKJKrx0cSD

— ESL Counter-Strike (@ESLCS) September 29, 2023

Upcoming online events such as the ESL Challenger Jönköping qualifiers (October 3), ESL Impact League Season 4 (October 4), and ESL Challenger League Season 46 (October 5) are just around the corner. In these league setups, ESL has transitioned away from using round difference as a determining factor, and instead, tiebreakers will determine the victors following the shift to MR12 format.

A noteworthy exception can be found in the ESL Pro League, where player voting on Wednesday resulted in a decision to stay with CSGO. Similarly, this exception applies to ESEA S46 in the Advanced and lower divisions.

IEM Sydney To Usher In The CS2 Era For ESL Competitions

The first Big Event to embrace CS2 will be IEM Sydney, starting on October 16th. The tournament organizer acknowledges the heightened complexity of hosting a substantial LAN event with CS2 but remains confident in their ability to adapt.

Following Sydney, the move to CS2 will include all competitions, from qualifiers to the entire 2024 calendar.

The swift adoption of CS2 is motivated by the anticipation of facing “highly restricted” practice opportunities for CSGO. This assessment has been openly recognized by influential figures in the competitive gaming community, including Brazilian side Imperial’s Vinicius “⁠VINI⁠” Figueiredo, who has highlighted this challenge. As his team readies themselves for the upcoming BLAST Fall Showdown next week, using the previous iteration of the game, the urgency, and necessity of transitioning to CS2 becomes even more apparent. It is vital to ensure that teams have ample time to adjust and prepare adequately.