Players to earn 80% of Prize Money at IEM Katowice and Cologne in 2025

In the wake of the final Major of 2024, ESL has announced several new updates coming to tournament Prize Pools for the ESL Pro Tour in CS2 for the coming year. The ESL Pro Tour in 2025 and 2026 promises to allocate over $22 million USD to clubs and players across the Counter-Strike esports scene.

From new player and club prize money divisions to the brand new Annual Club Incentive Program, the ESL Pro Tour will continue to strive towards the growth of the scene and all parties involved.

ESL Pro Tour 2025 Prize Money Distribution

To begin the new year, ESL has announced that IEM Katowice 2025 will receive a 25% increase in prize pool compared to its 2024 iteration, from $1 million USD to $1.25 million USD.

Perhaps more importantly, however, both IEM Katowice and Cologne in the coming year will see players walk away with 80% of the total prize money, while their clubs are handed the remaining 20%. This means players will be more incentivized than ever coming into the first ESL tournament of 2025, ensuring Counter-Strike starts the year with a strong showing at IEM Katowice.

Here is how prize money will be distributed across clubs and players in ESL Pro Tour tournaments in 2025:

Credit: ESL Gaming

ESL Annual Club Incentive

The Annual Club Incentive will be a key component of ESL's club compensation system in 2025, rewarding the top performing teams in the ESL Pro Tour. This initiative recognizes teams for their contributions in terms of tournament participation, viewership impact, and promotional efforts for ESL events.

The top 16 teams contributing the most to the scene will compete for a prize pool of $2.95 million USD. The program will calculate contributions using a formula that multiplies points earned for viewership by the number of ESL Pro Tour tournaments a team attends.

Factors such as event duration and travel difficulty will also be taken into account when calculating contributions. This way, ESL looks to incentivize participation in any and all Pro Tour events across the globe.

Here is how the viewership points will be calculated for the Annual Club Incentive program:

Credit: ESL Gaming

The Annual Club Incentive program will distribute rewards proportionally among participants, ensuring fair allocation based on contributions.

For instance, if a team makes up 10% of the total contribution among the top 16 teams eligible, that team would earn 10% of the $2.95 million USD prize pool ($295,000 USD). This system highlights ESL's commitment to promoting competitive integrity and supporting teams that actively enhance the ESL Pro Tour ecosystem.

More information regarding how teams can sign up for the program will be announced by ESL in the coming days. This way, any teams looking to opt in will have enough time before the start of IEM Katowice in 2025.

ESL Pro Tour 2025 Counter-Strike 2 Calendar

CS2 and ESL will see the new year launch off at IEM Katowice 2025 on January 29th. Subsequently, ESL Pro League will return for Season 21 on March 1st, with the tournament announced to be taking place in Stockholm, Sweden, in a return to a true historic land for Counter-Strike.

Credit: ESL Gaming

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Image source: ESL Gaming

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