Chengdu announced as host for CS2’s IEM China 2024

Intel Extreme Masters is bound for Chengdu, China for Counter-Strike 2 in 2024. IEM China 2024 will be the first event in the country since 2019.

16 teams from across the globe will fight for their slice of the USD $250,000 pie, according to an ESL FACEIT Group blog post today. 

IEM China 2024’s Group Stage will commence on April 8 with the victors taking home prize winnings and solidifying their spot in IEM Cologne 2024. 

The Playoffs are set to take place on April 12 to 14, located in the Wuliangye Chengdu Performing Arts Centre. A tournament win in Chengdu is also a step further in the Intel Grand Slam race, just after IEM Katowice 2024 concludes in midway through February. So far, FaZe Clan, MOUZ, G2, ENCE, and Vitality have titles under their belt.

Eleven places have already been snatched by a variety of teams in the CS2 scene. So far, we have:

IEM China 2024's online qualifying stages begin January 15 and will end February 10, according to ESL. The tournament organizer giant expects tickets to go on sale this quarter. However, there is no official date set. There are plenty of seats to go around, with the Wuliangye Chengdu Performing Arts Centre seating 12,000 people.

The Asian region has been a hub for esports over the past couple of decades. However, with Counter-Strike, Valve and tournament organizers haven't been able to make a dent compared to other titles. Bringing IEM to China, in particular, is a move meant for “fostering esports growth in the region,” according to Marc Winther, Head of Game Ecosystems at ESL.

With any luck, this will bring China’s ​​1.4 billion potential player count into CS2. As of publication, there isn't a single Asian CS2 team inside the top 30 on HLTV. Maybe, it’s time for a change.

Keep an eye on esports.gg for all CS2 news and guides.