ESL One Cologne joins the Inter Extreme Masters series

Tournament operator ESL announced the extension of cooperation with their technical partner Intel. The traditional ESL One tournament in Cologne will be part of the Intel Extreme Masters series under the terms of the new three-year agreement/

According to the press release, the partnership will see ESL and Intel invest more than $100 million in esports.

We will create the most electrifying tournament through combining the tradition of Intel® Extreme Masters with the Prestige of ESL One Cologne. Since 2006, Intel Extreme Masters has been home to the best to ever play the game, across multiple generations. We are committed to:

• Growing & Developing Future Stars. 
• Celebrating our Champions.
• Honouring Tradition and Esports History. 

We’ve welcomed thousands of fans to Cologne since 2015, making friends from across the globe while celebrating our favorite game. This tradition will continue as soon as we are able to return together in 2022.

As announced here, IEM Cologne 2021 is planned to take place as a LAN competition on July 06 - 18 without an audience. Your tickets for ESL One Cologne 2020/2021 remain fully valid for IEM Cologne 2022 on July 15-17 at LANXESS arena.

At the same time, the updated ESL Pro Tour tournament scheme was unveiled. Only IEM Cologne and IEM Katowice championships will receive Master Championships status, while the other Intel Extreme Masters competitions, as well as the ESL Pro League and DreamHack Masters, will fall into the second most prestigious category. ESL One series is absent from the current EPT calendar even as Challenger tournaments.

Recall that IEM Cologne 2021 (former ESL One Cologne 2021) will be held from July 6 to 18 in LAN format. 24 participants will play for a $1 million prize pool in the studio format.