One of the biggest tournaments in the CS:GO calendar is making its return this year, but it’ll be held online.
IEM New York 2020 was revealed earlier today by ESL. It’ll include 32 teams from around the world, spanning three regional divisions. This year’s prize pool will also be increased, giving teams the chance to earn their share of $250,000.
Most importantly, however, this is the last tournament for teams in NA and CIS to earn qualification for the Rio Major later this year.
The three regional divisions, which will begin Oct. 6, will feature some of the best teams in CS:GO. North America has 12 slots available while the CIS and European divisions have 12 and eight, respectively.
Team Liquid, Evil Geniuses, and MIBR headline the North American division while CIS has both Natus Vincere and Virtus Pro. The European teams haven’t been revealed yet, but we’ll likely see some familiar faces.
The format for each regional division slightly differs. Since there are only eight teams in the European division, there’s a double-elimination group of four in which the top two advance. Following a single-elimination playoff bracket, there will be a best-of-five grand final.
Last year’s ESL One New York saw Evil Geniuses lift the trophy after beating Astralis in the final. Liquid, who will also make an appearance this year, finished in the top four alongside G2 Esports after they lost to Astralis in the playoff bracket.
