CSGO tournaments will be essential to keep a track of if you are an active member of the community. Keep track of all the Tier 1 and 2 events which have the most established esports betting markets. While you can keep up to date with any news in the scene via CSGO news, this will be the right place for tournaments.
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive is a legacy esports title that has grown through the course of over 20 years. In recent years the competitive scene has had no problems filling out stadiums and large venues around the world with their major events. Prize pools for the biggest events can fetch up to $1,000,000 and above, depending on the tournament.
What are the biggest CSGO tournaments?
There is still a relatively open circuit for CSGO events. This means that tournament operators can still openly plan events where they would like through each calendar year. At the highest level these operators will plan with each other to make sure there are no overlapping tournaments.
Below is a list of some of the larger CSGO competitions each year:
- Intel Extreme Masters Cologne
- Intel Extreme Masters Katowice
- ESL Pro League
- BLAST Premier Spring and Fall
- BLAST Premier: World Final
- Gamers8
What you also get are CSGO Majors. These events happen 2-3 times a year and usually rotate between different tournament operators and locations. With these events you get the most attention, including contributions in-game by Valve.
Who operates the CSGO events?
There are several tournaments operators that work in CSGO. Often you will find the largest operators working across multiple games as well.
The most well known tournament operator is ESL who recently merged with FACEIT to create EFG (ESL FACEIT GROUP). They have put on numerous events of all different levels. Previously competing with their sister company FACEIT, they now work together. EFG also owns DreamHack, a legendary event operator in the scene and home to the first CSGO Major.
BLAST is also a very well known Danish esports event operator. In 2023 they delivered CSGO’s last ever major in Paris, the BLAST.tv Paris Major, which was won by the French Team VITALITY.
As mentioned before, FACEIT who has now merged with ESL also ran a lot of events. You will occasionally see them running some white label events. However, they are now focused on their own platform.
PGL from Romania have also run several large events in CSGO and have cemented themselves as a powerhouse in esports. They have run multiple Majors, including PGL Major Stockholm 2021 and PGL Major Antwerp 2022.
Other tournament operators include StarLadder, Red Bull, WePlay, ELEAGUE and EPICENTER. You won’t see them as often any more at the tier 1 level. But they always have a place in our hearts.
What are the best CSGO tournaments to bet on?
This is entirely up to you and what you feel most comfortable and knowledgeable on. Firstly, you should only risk money that you can afford to lose. The best way to do this is to also capitalise on matches and tournaments that you know best. Perhaps you have a certain affinity with a geographic region of Counter-Strike, in which case you can focus on the regional teams. Alternatively, you might prefer only watching Tier 1 events since it is easiest to follow the inner-workings of each team.
It’s important to note that the higher profile the event, the more information the bookmaker traders will have at their disposal. It is often harder to identify more mathematically profitable opportunities.
