It’s almost time to put 2022 behind us, after a year filled with fantastic performances across the CS:GO professional scene - and there’s plenty on the horizon to look forward to in 2023
2022 was filled with some incredible tournaments. Earlier this month, we saw G2 Esports earning their first S-tier tournament in five years, after they beat Team Liquid in the grand final of the BLAST Premier World Final.
That’s not all either - Back in October, we saw Outsiders defying the odds and being crowned the winners of the IEM Rio Major, getting their hands on the $500,000 grand prize. They also received an invitation to IEM Katowice 2023, alongside a ticket to this year’s BLAST World Final, where they were knocked out during the group stage.
February's Intel Extreme Masters Season XVI in Katowice meanwhile saw the mighty FaZe Clan taking home the $400,000 grand prize, after defeating G2 in the grand final.
And there’s still plenty to look forward to in 2023 - here’s just a handful of events that we’re looking forward to next year. And you'll be able to follow along with each of them right here on Luckbox - so remember to register for your free account!
IEM Katowice 2023
Organised by ESL, this year’s Intel Extreme Masters Katowice 2023 will be taking place in Katowice’s Spodek Arena, running from January 31 to February 13, 2023. That includes the play-in stage, which will run from January 31 to February 1, before the tournament itself kicks off in full force from February 2 to February 12, 2023.
It’s the first S-Tier tournament of the year, with a prize pool of $1,000,000 on offer, with the overall winner also automatically qualifying for IEM Cologne 2023, which starts in July.
The teams invited to IEM Katowice 2023’s group stage consists of FaZe Clan, Team Vitality, Outsiders, Heroic, Team Liquid, MOUZ, G2 Esports and Natus Vincere (NAVI).
On the play-in stage meanwhile we’ll see the likes of Ninjas in Pyjamas, Sprout, BIG, ENCE, OG, FURIA, MIBR, Cloud9, Team Spirit, Complexity, Grayhound, Evil Geniuses, paiN Gaming, Fnatic, Permitta Esports and IHC Esports.
And of course, you'll be able to watch CS:GO's first S-Tier event of the year right here on Luckbox - all with the help of your handy free account!
ESL Pro League Season 17
Once IEM Katowice wraps up, we won’t have long to wait for our next S-Tier event. ESL Pro League Season 17 will be kicking off shortly after, taking place in Malta from February 21 to April 2, 2023.
There’s a $835,000 prize pool on offer, with the winner also receiving a qualification to IEM Cologne 2023.
24 teams are due to attend the tournament, but we only know about 15 of them at the time of writing. Those teams include Heroic, G2, Team Liquid, FaZe Clan, NAVI, MOUZ, Furia, Team Vitality, Fnatic, Ninjas in Pyjamas, ENCE, BIG, Astralis, Complexity and Evil Geniuses.
It should prove to be an exciting few weeks, with Team Vitality returning to defend their crown - after defeating Team Liquid in the Season 16 grand final, thereby claiming $200,000 alongside invitations to both the 2022 BLAST Premier World Final and IEM Katowice 2023.
BLAST.tv Paris Major 2023
The first CS:GO Major will be taking place in Paris, running from May 8 to May 23, 2023. The qualifiers for the tournament meanwhile will take place from February through to April.
The prize pool for the Paris Major will be $1,250,000 - an increase of $250,000 over previous Majors, with the notable exception of the $2 million prize pool on offer at PGL Major Stockholm in 2021.
It’s not only the first Major to be hosted in France, but also the first to be hosted by BLAST themselves. It’s a new milestone for the event organisers, which CEO Robbie Douek celebrated in a statement back in September:
“BLAST has always had an ambition and dream to be involved in a Major, an event that is rightly viewed as the pinnacle of esports and competitive gaming. We’ve been watching and waiting for the right moment to deliver an unforgettable Major. The time is now.”
The Major taking place in France is itself worthy of note too - as it comes after French President Emmanuel Macron promised to support the country’s esports scene, and expressed his ambition for France to host a CS:GO Major.
It's a historic moment for both BLAST and France's esports scene - and we'll be keeping you up to date right here on Luckbox. Remember to claim your free account before the 2023 season kicks off!
IEM Cologne 2023
Much of the first half of the year is building up to this: the Intel Extreme Masters Cologne 2023, due to take place in Cologne’s LANXESS arena from July 25 to August 6. That includes the play-in stage, which will run from July 25-26, before the tournament itself kicks off on July 27.
There’s a $1,000,000 prize pool on offer to the 24 teams due to compete in Cologne, with the winner receiving an invitation to IEM Katowice 2024.
We don’t yet know who will be competing at this S-Tier event, with many of the participants being decided by the winners of the tournaments earlier in the year.
That’s just a handful of what we have to look forward to in 2023. We’ve got a fantastic year to look forward to, and you’ll be able to follow along with the action right here on Luckbox. Remember to sign up for your free account, and we’ll see you in the new year!
