This collaboration comes on the heels of the shutdown of the Overwatch League, the premier franchised esports league for the game.

The OWCS will feature open tournament circuits in North America, Europe, and Asia, with LAN tournaments held at DreamHack events.

The new competitive circuit is designed to be more traditional, open, always-on, and global, in contrast to the Overwatch League’s slot-based franchise model.

Unlike the Overwatch League, which was primarily North America-focused, the OWCS aims for a more international circuit.

The tournament will have open qualifiers and tournaments for players in North America, EMEA, and Asia, with the Asian operations organized by Korean tournament organizer WDG.

In 2024, the OWCS will include two major tournaments, the DreamHack Dallas Major in late May and June and the OWCS World Finals at DreamHack Stockholm.

These LAN events will showcase the top eight OWCS teams from around the world.

To enhance path-to-pro opportunities, Overwatch 2 esports will be integrated into the FACEIT platform.

FACEIT plans to provide a consistent schedule of events and content for aspiring OWCS players and support third-party competitions and experiences.

Craig Levine, Co-CEO of ESL FACEIT Group, emphasized the global experience the partnership aims to create, stating, “OWCS introduces a new era of Overwatch esports while honoring the traditions and passion built by Overwatch esports.”

Blizzard’s plans for OWCS represent a shift from the exclusive franchised model of the Overwatch League, focusing on creating more opportunities for players and fostering community engagement.

The circuit will be operated by EFG in North America and EMEA, while WDG will handle operations in Asia.

The OWCS structure aims to promote consistent, always-on events, providing a structured environment for teams to grow and develop.

The season will conclude with a finals tournament in Sweden in November, marking the return of tier-one Overwatch gameplay in Europe.

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ESL FACEIT Group (EFG), a prominent player in the esports and video game entertainment industry, revealed its ambitious 2024 program for the ESL Pro Tour (EPT) for Counter-Strike.

The announcement comes just as anticipation builds for the forthcoming launch of Counter-Strike 2, which has fans, players, and industry partners are excited for fresh changes, additions, and returning features.

The ESL Pro Tour aims to streamline the competitive Counter-Strike landscape, consolidating various ESL tournaments into a single, dedicated circuit. The tour is designed with multiple tiers of competition, including EPT Championship, EPT Masters, and EPT Challenger.

These varying levels offer a “clear and consistent opportunity” for players across the skill spectrum—from aspiring amateurs to established professionals—to compete and hone their abilities.

With these changes, ESL FACEIT Group is positioning itself and the ESL Pro Tour as the cornerstone of what promises to be an electrifying year for Counter-Strike esports.

Whether you’re a player striving to break into the professional ranks or a fan eager for gripping tournament action, the 2024 ESL Pro Tour is shaping up to be an essential part of the global esports calendar.

ESL Pro Tour Masters and Championships dates

The ESL Pro Tour has definitely got some events that are more lucrative, draw more fan engagement and feature better players. The Counter-Strike events on the ESL Pro Tour that you should not miss include:

IEM Katowice 2024: January 31st – February 11th
IEM China 2024: April 8th – April 14th
ESL Pro League Season 19: April 23rd – May 12th
IEM Dallas 2024: May 27th – June 2nd
IEM Cologne 2024: August 7th – August 18th
ESL Pro League Season 20: September 3rd – September 22nd
IEM Fall 2024: October 7th – October 13th

ESL Challanger events dates

The ESL Challenger Events are the tier dwon from the Pro Tour, but many of the top players will be partaking in these tournaments during the year. ESL Challenger events are also a fertile breeding ground for the top players, with young guns generally coming through this pathway. Key dates for ESL Challenger events in 2024 include:

ESL Challenger #56: April 26th – April 28th
ESL Challenger #57: June 14th – June 16th
ESL Challenger Atlanta: October 4th – October 6th
ESL Challenger #59: November 22nd – November 24th

Locations for ESL Challenger #56, #57, and #59 are yet to be announced, but these should be finalised shortly.

There are also the online ESL Challenger Leagues, which run worldwide over several months. Key dates for 2024 online ESL Challenger events include:

ESL Challenger League Season 47: February – June
ESL Challenger League Season 48: July – November

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The tournament, which has a prize pool of $400,000, will consist of two seasons of play. The live LAN events will be scheduled to be held in Katowice, Dallas, and Hanover.

The ESL Impact League, an all-female CS:GO league, is on course to commence its second season, having had its inaugural season earlier this year. Season one saw the Nigma Galaxy Female team clinch the title with $50,000 in prize money, having bested FURIA Esports Female in the grand finals. The second season is scheduled to be held at Dreamhack Winter and will run from November 25th through to 27th.

The organizers, who claim to have given out over $370,000 in prize money since the start of the all-female league across the season, Cash Cups, and standalone events, look to do much more in the coming year.

The Product Manager of Game Ecosystems at CS:GO at ESL FACEIT Group, Charlie Sirc, commented on the league and the promises it holds.

“It’s amazing to see how having the right infrastructure in place has already helped countless women to focus on what they love and take their skills to the next level,” Sirc said.

“From individual women significantly improving their gameplay to some major esports organisations investing in an all-women’s roster – 2022 has already seen more success stories than we could have imagined. And we look forward to levelling up the circuit even further in 2023 and beyond.”

The 2023 circuit roadmap as released by ESL shows that the season will commence with a standalone event. The event will feature the top two teams from Europe, North America, and South America, who will compete against each other in next year’s IEM Katowice, scheduled to be held in February.

The ESL Impact League Season 3 will feature the top eight teams from the three regions. The teams will compete for two spots each at the Dallas Finals. The Grand Final has a prize pool of $150,000 and will run from June 2-4 in Dallas.

Season 4 of the Impact League will run from September to October using the same format as the other seasons. The top two teams from each region will advance to the Hanover finals in Germany. The main event will commence on December 15 and run for three days, with yet another prize pool of $150,000.

ESL also announced that the Cash Cups would also be returning in 2023, alongside the two league seasons. The events will feature a total prize pool of $100,000 across both tournaments. The organizers revealed that more details about the Cups will be shared at a later date.

The league roadmap, as released by the ESL FACEIT Group, is coming just after the completion of the VCT Game Changers. According to Esports Charts, the all-female Valorant League recorded over 230,000 peak viewers, becoming the second most viewed all-female esports tournament of all time.

The female esports space has been receiving more attention and investments across multiple titles, which has in turn led to more growth within the scene. The female Rocket League Carball Championship, which recently kicked off its fifth season, is yet another esports title in full swing, alongside the female CS:GO and Valorant.

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