Electronic Sports League Brings Intel Extreme Masters to Melbourne in 2025
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Key points
- ESL announced IEM hosting in Melbourne, Australia, from April 21st to 27th, 2025.
- Intel Extreme Masters 2025 will feature 16 competing for a $1 million prize pool.
- The first IEM event of 2025 starts on January 29th in Katowice, Poland.
Electronic Sports League (ESL) announced that Intel Extreme Masters (IEM) is heading to Melbourne, Australia, in 2025. The event will feature 16 of the world’s top Counter-Strike 2 teams vying for a $1 million prize pool.
Lasting from April 21st to 27th, IEM Melbourne will see live arena matches unfold from April 25th to 27th. The participating teams will be determined by the upcoming Valve Regional Standings in February 2025.
The tournament will kick off with a group stage utilizing a double-elimination format. The top six teams will then advance to the playoffs, which will be held at the Rod Laver Arena. All series will be best-of-three matches, except for the Grand Final, which will be a best-of-five showdown.
“We are thrilled to bring IEM to Melbourne and showcase the world’s best CS2 players on Australian shores,” said Steve Dimopoulos, the Australian Minister for Tourism, Sport and Major Events. “This event will generate incredible excitement and provide a significant boost to our economy.”
IEM Melbourne 2025 will feature the top 10 teams in the global Valve Regional Standings, as well as the top two teams from each of the European, Americas, and Asia VRS standings.
This year, ESL is also hosting IEM events in Dallas, Cologne, Katowice, and Chengdu. IEM Katowice 2025 is set to be the first event of the year, commencing on January 29th.
