To say that 2025 is packed with top-tier Counter-Strike 2 (CS2) esports tournaments would be an understatement. The year’s events calendar is bursting at the seams, providing us with non-stop CS2 esports from January to December.
To keep this guide concise and manageable, we’ve narrowed it down to the S-Tier tournaments. Remember that at Thunderpick, we feature all the smaller and even regional leagues in our CS2 betting section.
CS2 Tournaments 2025
BLAST Bounty Season 1 Finals
The eight best teams from the BLAST Bounty Season 1 online qualifier event will compete in the BLAST Bounty Season 1 Finals, previously known as the “Spring Finals.” The teams will compete at the BLAST Studios in Copenhagen, Denmark in a single-elimination bracket, where the grand final is BO5, and the rest of the matches are BO3.
- Type: Offline
- Location: BLAST Studios in Copenhagen
- Start Date: Jan. 24, 2025
- End Date: Jan. 26, 2025
- Teams: 8
- Prize Pool: $500,000
IEM Katowice 2025
The iconic Intel Extreme Masters (IEM) event from ESL returns early in 2025. We’ll see 16 teams compete in the Play-In Stage for eight spots in the main event, joining the eight directly qualified teams. In the Group Stage, 16 teams will compete in two double-elimination format GSL-style groups, and the top six will make it through the single-elimination Playoffs Stage to face off at the Spodek Arena.
- Type: Offline
- Location: Katowice, Poland
- Start Date: Jan. 29, 2025
- End Date: Feb. 9, 2025
- Teams: 24
- Prize Pool: TBC
PGL on FiRe Buenos Aires 2025
The PGL on FiRe Buenos Aires 2025 tournament is an S-Tier event featuring the top 16 teams from Valve’s Global Standings. They’ll first compete in a Swiss System-format Group Stage, where the top eight teams advance to the single-elimination bracket Playoffs Stage. In the Playoffs Stage, all matches are BO3, except for the grand final, which is BO5.
- Type: Offline
- Location: Teatro Gran Rex in Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Start Date: Feb. 13, 2025
- End Date: Feb. 23, 2025
- Teams: 16
- Prize Pool: $1,250,000
ESL Pro League Season 21
In 2025, we have two ESL Pro League (EPL) seasons to look forward to, starting with EPL Season 21 at the end of February. As with past EPL seasons, teams will fight through two Swiss System-format stages, and the top eight will compete in a single-elimination bracket. The semifinals and quarterfinals matches are BO3, and the grand final is BO5.
- Type: Offline
- Location: TBC (likely Saint Julian’s in Malta)
- Start Date: Feb. 25, 2025
- End Date: March 16, 2025
- Teams: 24
- Prize Pool: TBC
BLAST Open Lisbon 2025 Finals
Following the BLAST Open Spring event, the top six teams will compete in the BLAST Open Lisbon Finals in Portugal at the end of March 2025. The BLAST Open Lisbon 2025 Finals features six teams in a single-elimination bracket, with the quarterfinals and semifinals being BO3 and the grand final BO5.
- Type: Offline
- Location: MEO Arena in Lisbon, Portugal
- Start Date: March 28, 2025
- End Date: March 30, 2025
- Teams: 6
- Prize Pool: TBC
PGL Bucharest 2025
The top 16 teams from the current Valve Global Standings will compete for a massive prize pool in the PGL Bucharest 2025 event in the first half of April. The tournament begins with a 16-team Swiss System-format Group Stage, where all matches are BO3. The top eight advance to the single-elimination Playoffs Stage, where all matches are BO3 except for the grand final, which is a BO5 slugfest.
- Type: Offline
- Location: PGL Studio in Bucharest, Romania
- Start Date: April 3, 2025
- End Date: April 13, 2025
- Teams: 16
- Prize Pool: $1,250,000
IEM Spring 2025
The IEM Spring 2025 event kicks off with two double-elimination format GSL-style groups of eight teams each. We’ll see the top three teams from each group advance to the single-elimination Playoffs, where the quarterfinals and semifinals are BO3, and the grand final is BO5.
- Type: Offline
- Location: TBC
- Start Date: April 21, 2025
- End Date: April 27, 2025
- Teams: 16
- Prize Pool: TBC
BLAST Rivals Season 1
Starting at the end of April 2025, eight teams will compete in the first-ever BLAST Rivals event to finish up Season 1. The tournament begins with a Group Stage featuring two double-elimination format GSL-style groups with four teams each. The top three teams from each group advance to the single-elimination bracket Playoffs, where the quarterfinals and semifinals are BO3, and the grand final is BO5.
- Type: Offline
- Location: TBC
- Start Date: April 28, 2025
- End Date: May 4, 2025
- Teams: 8
- Prize Pool: TBC
PGL Astana 2025
As the first huge CS2 esports event of May, PGL Astana 2025 will take place in Kazakhstan. The action starts with a 16-team Swiss System-format Group Stage. The top eight teams will proceed to the Playoffs Stage, where all matches in the single-elimination bracket are BO3, except for the grand final, which is BO5.
- Type: Offline
- Location: Barys Arena in Astana, Kazakhstan
- Start Date: May 8, 2025
- End Date: May 18, 2025
- Teams: 16
- Prize Pool: $1,250,000
IEM Dallas 2025
The first S-Tier CS2 esports event to take place in the United States in 2025 is IEM Dallas. This long-running event generally occurs at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center in front of an enthusiastic crowd. We’ll see 16 teams compete first in a Group Stage featuring two groups of eight teams each and a double-elimination GSL-style format, followed by a single-elimination bracket playoffs.
- Type: Offline
- Location: Dallas, Texas (venue TBC)
- Start Date: May 19, 2025
- End Date: May 25, 2025
- Teams: 16
- Prize Pool: $250,000
BLAST.tv Austin Major 2025
The BLAST.tv Austin Major is the first CS2 Major Championship of 2025, and there’s a lot of excitement and anticipation surrounding this top-tier event. At the time of writing, some details are unavailable, such as reports suggesting Regional Major Ranking (RMR) will be removed in favor of invites based on Valve’s Regional Standings and the number of teams increased from 24 to 32. Like the Perfect World Shanghai Major, we’ll see three stages of competition: Opening, Elimination, and Playoffs.
- Type: Offline
- Location: Moody Center in Austin, Texas
- Start Date: June 9, 2025
- End Date: June 22, 2025
- Teams: 24 (likely expanding to 32)
- Prize Pool: $1,250,000
FISSURE Event (Summer 2025)
The yet-to-be-named tournament from organizers FISSURE and sponsor BetBoom will take place in Serbia in July, featuring a huge prize pool. With four groups of four teams, each featuring a double-elimination GSL-style format, we’ll see the competition cut in half for the Playoffs, featuring a single-elimination bracket.
- Type: Offline
- Location: Belgrade, Serbia
- Start Date: July 15, 2025
- End Date: July 20, 2025
- Teams: 16
- Prize Pool: $1,000,000
IEM Cologne 2025
A year of CS2 esports action wouldn’t be complete without the iconic annual IEM Cologne event at the “Cathedral of Counter-Strike,” aka the LANXESS Arena in Cologne, Germany. It all begins with the Play-In stage, where 16 teams will compete for eight spots in the main event. Those who survive the Play-In will compete in two double-elimination format GSL-style groups, and the top six will make it through the single-elimination Playoffs Stage.
- Type: Offline
- Location: LANXESS Arena in Cologne, Germany
- Start Date: July 23, 2025
- End Date: Aug. 3, 2025
- Teams: 16
- Prize Pool: TBC
BLAST Bounty Season 2 Finals
Following the online BLAST Bounty Season 2 event, the top eight teams will compete in the Season 2 Finals, previously known as the “Fall Finals.” Teams will compete from the state-of-the-art BLAST Studios in Copenhagen, Denmark. They’ll participate in a no-nonsense single-elimination bracket Playoffs, where the grand final is BO5 and the rest of the matches are BO3.
- Type: Offline
- Location: BLAST Studios in Copenhagen
- Start Date: Aug. 15, 2025
- End Date: Aug. 17, 2025
- Teams: 8
- Prize Pool: $500,000
BLAST Open London 2025 Finals
The Group Stage of the BLAST Open event in Fall 2025 will take place at the BLAST Studios venue in Copenhagen, leading up to the huge BLAST Open London 2025 Finals in September. In the Playoffs Stage, the top six teams (three from each group) compete in a single-elimination bracket, where the quarterfinals and semifinals are BO3, and the grand final is BO5.
- Type: Offline
- Location: OVO Arena Wembley in London
- Start Date: Sept. 5, 2025
- End Date: Sept. 7, 2025
- Teams: 6
- Prize Pool: TBC
FISSURE Event Finals (Sept 2025)
The second massive event from tournament organizer FISSURE and headline sponsor BetBoom is yet to be named, but we already know that 16 teams will compete for a $1,250,000 prize pool in front of a crowd in Belgrade, Serbia. The action will begin with a Group Stage featuring two groups of eight teams each and a double-elimination GSL-style format. The top three teams from each group advance to the Playoffs Stage, where they’ll compete in BO3 quarterfinals and semifinals for a shot at making it to the BO5 grand final.
- Type: Offline
- Location: Belgrade, Serbia
- Start Date: Sept. 9, 2025
- End Date: Sept. 21, 2025
- Teams: 16
- Prize Pool: $1,250,000
ESL Pro League Season 22
This is the second EPL season of 2025, and it runs for three weeks from the end of September to mid-October. The 24 qualified teams will square off in two Swiss System-format stages. The top eight will survive to compete in the single-elimination bracket Playoffs Stage, where all matches are BO3, except for the grand final, which is BO5.
- Type: Offline
- Location: TBC (likely Saint Julian’s in Malta)
- Start Date: Sept. 23, 2025
- End Date: Oct. 12, 2025
- Teams: 24
- Prize Pool: TBC
Thunderpick World Championship 2025 Finals
We’re excited and proud to say that the Thunderpick World Championship returns for a third year. The first qualifiers will start in April, and each qualifier will have a prize pool of $25,000 on the line. The finals will boast a huge $850,000 prize pool for a cool $1 million total. Stay tuned as we’ll share more official information and update our readers with the latest information on the TWC 2025 qualifiers and Finals.
- Type: Online/Offline
- Location: TBC
- Start Date: Oct. 15, 2025
- End Date: Oct. 19, 2025
- Teams: 8
- Prize Pool: $850,000
PGL Belgrade 2025
The PGL Belgrade 2025 tournament will take place in Serbia at the end of October and the start of November. CS2 esports fans will see 16 teams compete in a Swiss System-format Group Stage, where all matches are BO3. The top eight will advance to the Playoffs Stage, where all matches are BO3, except for the grand final, which is BO5.
- Type: Offline
- Location: Belgrade Arena in Serbia
- Start Date: Oct. 23, 2025
- End Date: Nov. 2, 2025
- Teams: 16
- Prize Pool: $1,250,000
IEM Chengdu 2025
The start of November will feature the return of top-tier CS2 esports to China with IEM Chengdu 2025. First, 16 teams compete in a Group Stage featuring two double-elimination GSL-style format groups of eight teams each. The top three teams advance to the single-elimination Playoffs Stage, where the quarterfinals and semifinals are BO3, and the grand final is BO5.
- Type: Offline
- Location: Chengdu, China
- Start Date: Nov. 3, 2025
- End Date: Nov. 9, 2025
- Teams: 16
- Prize Pool: TBC
BLAST Rivals Season 2
Previously known as the Fall series, the BLAST Rivals Season 2 event will occur in mid-November 2025. It will feature eight of the best CS2 teams competing in two stages. The event begins with a Group Stage featuring two double-elimination format GSL-style groups with four teams each. The top three teams from each group will advance to the single-elimination bracket Playoffs Stage, where the quarterfinals and semifinals are BO3, and the grand final is BO5.
- Type: Offline
- Location: TBC
- Start Date: Nov. 10, 2025
- End Date: Nov. 16, 2025
- Teams: 8
- Prize Pool: TBC
CS2 Major Championship December 2025
At the time of writing, we don’t know a lot about the crowning CS2 esports event of the year. The second Major Championship of 2025 will take place in December and likely boasts a prize pool of $1,250,000, as previous events of its nature. We’ll likely see 32 teams compete on LAN, with three stages of competition.
- Type: Offline
- Location: TBC
- Start Date: Dec. 1, 2025
- End Date: Dec. 14, 2025
- Teams: 24 (likely expanding to 32)
- Prize Pool: $1,250,000
Please note: We’ll update this guide to include all the S-Tier CS2 esports events in 2025 when new information becomes available. At the time of writing, some tournaments don’t have specific venues or prize pool details. Also, organizers may announce even more events throughout 2025.
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