14 DAY TRIAL // The ESL announces that it will once again organize a major Counter-Strike: Global Offensive this year, with the action set to take place in Katowice at the Spodek Arena, with sponsors, including Intel and BenQ, ready to give the involved teams a prize pool of 250,000 dollars (193,000 Euro).
The event will be bigger than before, with the eSports competition set to cover 8,000 square meters for three days and with 12,500 spectators able to watch the finals on the main stage between March 12 and 15.
Ulrich Schulze, managing director of Pro Gaming at ESL, states in the official announcement that "When we took ESL One to Katowice last year, we saw some absolutely fantastic games and experienced a great atmosphere. Particularly when Virtus.pro, a Polish team, were crowned champions in front of their home crowd. Since then CS:GO has made incredible progress and we are honoured to once again have been given the opportunity to host a CS:GO Major with a US$250,000 prize purse. The chance to host it in an arena as memorable as Spodek is an added bonus."
Sixteen teams will be part of the Katowice 2015 event, with eight of them chosen based on their past performances and another eight set to gain their place by going through a combination of online and offline qualifying tournaments that feature Counter-Strike: Global Offensive.
The final decisive matches for these teams will take place in the city on February 14 and 15.
ESL One Katowice is designed for Counter-Strike: Global Offensive fans
The organizers are saying that those who are looking to attend on Thursday will have to get either an Intel ESL Opening Day pass or a Premium pass, and tickets are now offered for all those interested.
On Friday, Saturday and Sunday, entry is free but those who have a ticket will be able to skip the lines that will surely form.
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive fans will also be able to follow the Katowice action via streaming if they cannot attend.
ELS One also organizes tournaments for other high-profile video games like DOTA 2 and Battlefield 4.