From Cologne to EPL Season 11, CSGO tournament schedule is packed

The competitive CS:GO ecosystem underwent dramatic restructuring beginning in March 2020, when ESL Pro League Season 11 transitioned to online competition and Valve postponed ESL One Rio 2020. These initial disruptions cascaded throughout the professional calendar, forcing nearly every scheduled event to adapt to new formats and timelines. Compounding the complexity, Valve introduced three additional Regional Major Ranking tournaments that now serve as critical pathways to CS:GO’s sole 2020 Major championship.

This comprehensive guide details the remaining premier tournaments of 2020, providing essential dates, participating organizations, prize structures, and strategic viewing guidance to help fans navigate this unprecedented competitive period.

CS Summit 6: Online Adaptation and Regional Competition

Designated as the second Regional Ranking competition distributing CS:GO Major qualification points, CS Summit 6 delivers the essential ranking points teams require to secure placement at ESL One Rio, the exclusive Major championship of 2020. Following the industry-wide pattern, Beyond the Summit has segmented CS Summit 6 into separate North American and European brackets, creating the unusual scenario of potentially crowning two distinct tournament champions.

The transition to digital competition represents a fundamental shift for the Summit tournament series, whose primary appeal historically centered on intimate face-to-face interactions between broadcasting talent, production crew, and competing professionals.

Tournament Dates: July 24 to July 5

Competition Format: Online regional play

Participating Organizations: 16 European squads and 8 North American teams

Confirmed Rosters:

• European Division
  • G2 Esports
  • Team Vitality
  • FaZe Clan
  • BIG
  • mousesports
  • Ninjas in Pyjamas
  • ENCE
  • OG
  • Team Heretics
  • Heroic
  • GODSENT
  • North
  • Movistar Riders
  • FATE
  • Copenhagen Flames
• North American Division
  • FURIA
  • Evil Geniuses
  • Team Liquid
  • 100 Thieves
  • Gen.G
  • Cloud9
  • Chaos Esports Club

Prize Distribution: $75,000 plus Regional Major Ranking points determined by final placement

DreamHack Open Summer: Gateway to Professional CS:GO

Consistent with all DreamHack productions, DreamHack Open Summer integrates into ESL’s comprehensive Pro Tour framework, the tournament organizer’s overarching competitive structure. This event additionally functions as a qualification pathway for teams seeking entry into ESL’s other premier competitions. All ESL-organized tournaments featured in this overview, including the prestigious ESL One Cologne, comprise elements of ESL’s strategic initiative to interconnect its annual tournament offerings and establish a global LAN league ecosystem.

Competition Schedule: August 8 to August 16, 2020

Competition Environment: Online digital platform

Participating Organizations: 8 European teams and 8 North American squads (rosters pending announcement)

Prize Allocation: $90,000

ESL One Cologne 2020: The Cathedral’s Uncertain Fate

Renowned within the community as the “Cathedral of Counter-Strike,” Cologne’s LANXESS Arena has hosted ESL One Cologne continuously since 2014. This year however, Germany’s social distancing regulations potentially indicate the iconic venue will remain spectator-free. Two distinct scenarios currently appear equally plausible: either ESL One Cologne proceeds as a LAN production without live audience attendance, or the complete tournament transitions to online competition.

ESL has communicated its intention to conduct the event as a LAN production, though both alternatives diminish some of the distinctive appeal characterizing one of CS:GO’s most celebrated competitive events.

Event Dates: August 21 to August 30

Venue Location: Cologne, Germany (potential transition to online format)

Participating Organizations: 16 professional teams

Prize Pool: $1,000,000

ESL Pro League Season 12: Global Showdown and Storylines

ESL Pro League Season 12 remains calendared as a consolidated international tournament, featuring European and North American organizations competing directly against each other in LAN environment conditions. Fnatic secured victory during Season 11 of ESL Pro League as part of their dominant competitive stretch, ensuring this EPL installment delivers compelling narrative arcs for dedicated CS:GO enthusiasts.

League Commencement: Regular season begins September 2, 2020

Competition Location: To be announced

Participating Organizations: 24 total teams representing all global regions

Confirmed Participants:

• G2 Esports
• Team Vitality
• FaZe Clan
• Natus Vincere
• FURIA
• fnatic
• Astralis
• BIG
• Evil Geniuses
• Complexity
• Team Liquid
• mousesports
• Ninjas in Pyjamas
• ENCE
• 100 Thieves
• Team Spirit
• Renegades
• TYLOO
• ORDER
• BOOM
• Isurus Gaming
• Sharks Esports

Prize Structure: Awaiting official announcement

Player Fatigue and Competitive Burnout: The Human Cost

Despite the Counter-Strike Professional Players Association and tournament organizers collectively relocating the CS:GO competitive break to July, an extraordinary volume of professional Counter-Strike competition continues throughout summer months. The overwhelming density of scheduled competitive play has already prompted multiple professional players to temporarily withdraw from active competition. Astralis competitors Lukas “gla1ve” Rossander and Andreas “Xyp9x” Højsleth experiencing competitive burnout has already generated organizational controversy, while Complexity proprietor Jason Lake publicly addressed player exhaustion following his organization’s BLAST Premier Spring championship victory.

For real, my ????aches for my CS guys. They need (and really deserve) a damn break. Been nonstop for them & a very difficult year w/ 2 guys unexpectedly stuck in EU. They’ve worked their asses off & have shown what we’re capable of. They’ve more than earned this player break.

— Jason Lake (@JasonBWLake) June 23, 2020

Fortunately, Complexity and the broader CS:GO competitive community will receive respite during July. Following this interval however, the CS:GO competitive calendar resumes with intensified momentum.

No reproduction without permission：Game Guides Online » From Cologne to EPL Season 11, CSGO tournament schedule is packed Complete guide to CS:GO's packed 2020 tournament schedule with strategic viewing tips and team analysis