Intel Grand Slam on hold until at least ESL One Cologne, possibly longer

ESL has officially delayed the INTEL Grand Slam meta-tournament, citing the current landscape of online competitions as a barrier to identifying the world’s top Counter-Strike: Global Offensive team. The organizer specifically noted that Road to Rio’s multiple regional winners make global team evaluation impossible under current conditions.

This decision follows multiple major LAN tournament cancellations and their subsequent conversion to regional online formats. The logic behind this move becomes clear when examining the geographical distribution of teams competing for the $1 million prize across North American, CIS, and European regions. Transitioning to online tournaments to adhere to health protocols and protect competitors has effectively fragmented the international CS:GO competitive scene into isolated regional bubbles.

Beginning with ESL Pro League Season 11, regionally segregated online tournaments will no longer contribute to the event count required for Grand Slam qualification.

ESL is actively exploring the possibility of returning to live audience competitions through ESL One Cologne. When questioned about whether the planned broadcast tournament would utilize online formats or feature players competing in-studio, ESL representative Chris Flato provided WIN.gg with this statement on May 5:

“We currently lack definitive information regarding the final competition structure. Our team will provide updates as additional details become available,” Flato explained.

While German authorities might grant ESL permission to host the international tournament domestically, existing travel limitations prevent non-EU participants from extended stays without demonstrating essential purposes for entry.

Currently, six squads maintain eligibility for Intel Grand Slam contention, with only one organization having secured a masters-level tournament victory. Natus Vincere claimed the championship position at IEM Katowice 2020. Below are the present rankings, accompanied by the specific timeframes each team must complete their grand slam objectives.

Current Grand Slam Rankings

According to official ESL communications, these represent the current standings in the ongoing Intel Grand Slam season:

• Natus Vincere – 1 trophy, 9 opportunities remaining(requires three additional tournament victories or achieving 5 wins within 9 attempts)
• mousesports – 1 trophy, 8 opportunities remaining(must secure two more tournament wins including a masters-level event or accomplish 5 victories in 8 tries)
• Astralis – 1 trophy, 7 opportunities remaining(needs two additional tournament successes with a masters competition or 5 wins across 7 events)
• Fnatic – 1 trophy, 6 opportunities remaining(must achieve two more tournament triumphs featuring a masters event or 5 victories in 6 attempts)
• Evil Geniuses – 1 trophy, 5 opportunities remaining(requires two further tournament conquests including a masters competition or perfect 5/5 record)
• Team Liquid – 1 trophy, 4 opportunities remaining(must capture two additional tournament wins along with a masters-level event)

The qualifying tournament roster includes IEM Katowice 2020, ESL One Cologne, and CSGO majors organized by either ESL or DreamHack, such as the upcoming ESL One Rio championship.

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