The Race to Intel Grand Slam V Begins

Published by

James Fudge

1 year ago

ESL FACEIT Group (EFG) and Intel announced Monday that competition in the Intel Grand Slam V begins with the Intel Extreme Masters (IEM) Rio 2023 on April 17-23, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, with teams competing at the Jeunesse Arena on April 21-23. Both Counter-Strike 2 and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) will count towards the competition—until Counter-Strike 2 is officially released and becomes part of the competition. Of course, the new game will need time to work out any gameplay kinks or technical issues before it becomes a full-blown replacement for CS:GO.

When Counter-Strike 2 is finally released and becomes a part of the ESL Pro Tour (EPT) ecosystem, any eligible wins in CS:GO will count towards the Intel Grand Slam. Counter-Strike 2 is tentatively set for a release sometime during the summer, but Valve has not yet set a specific date.

EFG says that the Intel Grand Slam V can be won by the first team to win “three EPT Masters tournaments and one EPT Championship tournament at one of the main events” in the calendar including IEM Katowice, IEM Cologne, or any ESL-operated CS Majors across 10 consecutive events, according to a release.

More information about the Inte® Grand Slam can be found on its official website.

James Fudge

With a career spanning over two decades in the esports and gaming journalism landscape, James Fudge stands as a seasoned veteran and a pivotal figure in the evolution of esports media. His journey began in 1997 at Game-Wire / Avault, where he curated gaming and community news, laying the groundwork for his expertise in the field. In his more recent roles, James cemented his status as an authority in the esports business sphere as Senior Editor Esports at Sports Business Journal and The Esports Observer between 2018 and 2021.