Australian CS2 fans won’t be missing out on top-tier Counter-Strike in 2025!
It's a move five years in the making and the worst-kept secret in pro CS2: Melbourne, Australia will play host to ESL's Intel Extreme Masters Spring tournament in April.
16 teams, all drawn from the top of the Valve Regional Standings (VRS), will make their way to the Victorian capital to play for a mighty $300,000 USD and valuable points toward qualifying for the BLAST Austin Major.
IEM Melbourne 2025 dates set; tickets on sale this Thursday
Two years on from IEM Sydney, which saw a sold-out Super Aware Theatre host the first S-tier CS2 LAN, Melbourne will finally get its chance to shine. IEM Melbourne kicks off April 21, with the final three days (April 25 to 27) held in the prestigious Rod Laver Arena.
There will be no qualifiers held for IEM Melbourne 2025. As per the shift to VRS, the top ranked teams in the world, and from each sub-region, will be directly invited to the tournament. The invites are broken down as follows:
- The top 10 teams in the global VRS rankings will receive the first invites.
- The top two teams from each VRS region (Americas, Europe, and Asia) will also receive invites.
- Should an invite be declined, the next-ranked team will be invited.
“The Australian crowd consistently brings something special to our Counter-Strike events," ESL FACEIT Group director of game ecosystems Marc Winther said. "The atmosphere in the arena is always unique, filled with energy and fun, and that comes across online as well. Fans all around the world look forward to seeing what the Aussie crowd will get up to.”
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Melbourne becomes Australia's CS2 crown jewel
Melbourne was set to be the new Australian home of IEM after a three-year stint in Sydney wrapped in 2019. However, the COVID pandemic forced a cancelation in 2020. In 2022, competitive Counter-Strike finally arrived in Melbourne in the form of the second-tier ESL Challenger series.
ESL Challenger was held alongside DreamHack Melbourne for three years. But in early December 2024, the team revealed DreamHack would not be making a return to Australia. With the shift away from offline Challenger events, this left nothing for Aussie fans.
Now, those fears are gone. “We’re extremely excited to have the world’s best gamers here to showcase their skills at one of the biggest esports tournaments ever seen on Australian shores," said Minister for Tourism, Sport and Major Events Steve Dimopoulos.
Tickets go on sale at 2pm AEDT on Thursday, Jan. 23 via Ticketek. General admission starts at $189 AUD, granting access to all three days of the playoffs. GA+ tickets are $249, while Premium — including a special seating zone and a goodie bag — goes for $359.
That's all for now. For more CS2 news and coverage, stay tuned to esports.gg!
