ESL and BLAST make changes to CSGO calendar, reschedule 3 key events

Two major Counter-Strike: Global Offensive event organizers, BLAST and ESL, announced changes that they enacted to this year’s event calendar. As a result, three crucial tournaments - ESL Pro League, BLAST Premier Fall Groups and IEM Fall - were rescheduled.

ESL Counter-Strike on Twitter Together with @BLASTPremier we have made a CS calendar update, aligned on our rulebooks and more!🗓️ The updated schedule!#ESLProLeague S14: Aug 16 - Sep 12#BLASTPremier Fall Groups: Sep 16 - Sep 26#IEM Fall: Sep 28 - Oct 10Read more here! ⤵️https://t.co/H1mkS4lMpc pic.twitter.com/wccxfUXVAI— ESL Counter-Strike (@ESLCS) May 12, 2021 ESL Counter-Strike Twitter

The next season of ESL Pro League, originally planned to run from 8th September to 10th October was given a new date of 16th August to 12th September. This means that EPL season 14 will be the first major tournament after the player break, which will take between July and August this year. What’s more, the tournament is still planned to take place in person in Malta.

At the same time, ESL announced that IEM Fall will be held from 28th September through to the 10th October. Such a date was determined to avoid potential confrontation with the upcoming PGL Stockholm Major, scheduled for 23rd October - 7th November.

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Meanwhile, BLAST Premier Fall's inauguration event has been moved forward to 16th September. It has yet to be decided whether the tournament, alongside IEM Fall, will take place in-studio or online. 

Both parties say such effort is a part of a “unified approach to the governance of scheduling tournament dates, rulebook alignment and integrity policies.”

What’s more, both organizers commit to continue collaborating in order to improve next year’s calendar.  “We are working together on a range of matters which include rulebook alignment, integrity policies and scheduling for the 2022 season.”

Feature image courtesy of ESL.