The next Counter-Strike Major will be the IEM Katowice 2019. The event has always been an important feature in the Counter-Strike Calendar. With support from the local government, Katowice has been able to project itself as a premier esports destination.
ESL has announced details of the Minors to take place in Katowice. All the minors will take place in Poland and it will allow the teams to ensure the quality of competition.
ESL has announced the Minor dates as follows:
- CIS and EU Minors: 16-20 January
- Asia and Americas Minors: 22-26 January
- The Minor Playoff – 27 January
The Pairing of the CS: GO Minors is done keeping in mind the time zones for the players and their fans. So CIS will be the early minor while EU will be the late Minor. Similarly, Asia will be the early Minor while Americas will be the Late Minor. This provides fans in North America, CIS, EU and Asia with a feasible time zone to watch their favourite teams compete.
The third-place finishes in each Minor will compete in the Minor Playoffs. The Minor Playoffs will be held on January 27. The top two teams will qualify for IEM Katowice Major.
🙌 All roads lead to the #IEM Katowice CS:GO Major 2019!
👉https://t.co/KR9ZSPGLTr pic.twitter.com/SfutPawX1I
— Intel® Extreme Masters (@IEM) October 31, 2018
The exact format and schedule for the Minors will be revealed later. Most notably, this presents ESL’s entry into the CS: GO major circuit after several years of not receiving a Major. At the same time, ESL seemingly does not have a single Dota 2 Major for the upcoming DPC season.
Counter-Strike Global Offensive only sees two Majors in one year. They have a huge prize pool along with the reputation for the winning team. However, the formats for the Majors have always received a lot of flak from the community. Since the tournaments are spread over the course of six months or more, teams do not stay the same in form and performance. A team which won the previous major might not even make it into the top eight for the next Major.
IEM Katowice will take place in February 2019.
