Groups, prize pool & extra

The Intel Excessive Masters 2025 is returning to Chengdu, a Tier 1 match for the perfect Counter-Strike 2 groups on the earth to compete towards one another. The occasion would be the final IEM match of the 12 months, because the IEM has hosted tournaments in Katowice, Melbourne, Dallas, and Cologne all through 2025.

IEM Chengdu returns to town, because it had beforehand hosted the match in 2024. Traditionally, the IEM has had many host cities world wide, though Cologne, Dallas, and Katowice have been hosts for the reason that occasion was rebranded from seasons to years in 2022.

Right here’s the whole lot you might want to know in regards to the Intel Excessive Masters Chengdu 2025, together with its schedule, taking part groups, construction, prize pool, and the right way to watch the occasion.

Because the final IEM Counter-Strike 2 match of the 12 months, Intel Excessive Masters Chengdu will start on November 3. It can begin with its group stage, then transfer to the play-offs from November 7. The occasion will shut on November 9.

IEM Chengdu may even be one of many ultimate tournaments of the Counter-Strike calendar earlier than the season is concluded by the Starladder Budapest Main later in November.

Counter-Strike 2 groups are invited to the IEM Chengdu based mostly on their VRS (Valve Regional Standings). This, in fact, consists of FaZe Clan, the defending champions, though not each crew on the prime of the rankings accepted their invite.

All groups concerned with the match are ranked inside the prime 20, with the bottom (Norway’s HEROIC) being ranked 18th. Notable exceptions from the Intel Excessive Masters 2025 embody Aurora Gaming and Gamer Legion, the one prime 20 groups to have declined an invite to the occasion.

Nonetheless, the match may have the perfect CS2 groups duking it out for prime honours, and there will probably be loads of matches to observe from the third of November.

Those that had been unable to get tickets to observe the occasion in particular person can comply with it on a number of platforms:

A complete of 16 groups will probably be competing for the Intel Excessive Masters 2025 group stage, which can happen earlier than a dwell viewers. These groups come from 4 VRS lists, Europe, Americas, Asia, and International:

These 16 esports groups are positioned into two double-elimination brackets of eight. The three finest groups of every bracket then qualify for the play-offs, the place they’re positioned right into a six crew elimination bracket. 

Inside this bracket, the quarter and semi-finals happen, earlier than a 3rd place match between the 2 losers of the semi-finals. Then the IEM Chengdu will shut with a championship match, and the victor walks away with the crown.

The entire prize pool for the IEM Chengdu 2025 is $1,000,000: $300,000 for the gamers and $700,000 for the membership share. These ranked thirteenth to sixteenth will earn $4000 with no membership share, whereas the ninth to twelfth positioned crew stroll away with $5000, with a $20,000 membership share.

The seventh to eighth positioned groups earn $7000, with a $40,000 membership share. fifth to sixth ranked groups earn a mighty $12,500 and a $60,000 membership share.

The 4th positioned crew earns $20,000 with a $70,000 membership share, whereas these with the bronze medal in third place win $30,000, plus a $90,000 membership share. Lastly, the silver medal place earns $50,000 with a $100,000 membership share, whereas these with prime honours triumphantly march away with a mighty $125,000 and a mouth-watering $160,000 membership share.

The Intel Excessive Masters Chengdu 2025 guarantees to be an exhilarating contest, and China internet hosting it but once more exhibits its continued enlargement of esports tradition. The Counter-Strike 2’s finest will placed on one other present on the occasion, though it’d result in some late nights for these watching from the Americas and Europe.