Tournament organiser ESL has revealed that its Intel Extreme Masters (IEM) 2025 event in Chengdu, China will feature a crowd during the Group Stage.
ESL shared that during the Counter-Strike 2 tournament this November, 60% of games will be played with ‘thousands watching’.
The reason only 60% of matches will be played in front of attendees is likely because during the Group Stage, multiple matches are run at the same time. This means that some series may end up being played off-stage.
Having a live crowd in the Group Stage is a drastic change for the event. The inaugural tournament, which took place in April 2024, only featured a live crowd during the Playoffs in the last few days of the event.
What to Expect from IEM Chengdu 2025
The Group Stage is scheduled to begin on November 3rd, 2025, where the top 16 Counter-Strike 2 teams will battle it out for a place in the Playoffs, which will conclude with the Grand Finals on November 9th. Similar to other big IEM events, the total prize pool is $1m (~£740,000).
Various teams have been invited to the tournament based on August’s Valve Regional Standings. This includes last year’s defending champion, FaZe Clan, which defeated MOUZ in the Grand Finals in 2024. Chengdu will also feature tier-1 event winners such as Team Vitality, a roster that has dominated in the 2025 season, and recent BLAST Open London winner G2 Esports.
The IEM Chengdu Counter-Strike 2 competition is one of the last competitive events to take place before all eyes turn to the StarLadder Budapest Major in late November to conclude the season.
Early bird tickets for IEM Chengdu will be available through ESL’s official website.
For the Group Stage, tier-one (closest to the stage) will cost ¥688 CNY ($96), and tier-two (further back from the stage) will cost ¥388 CNY (~$54/£40). Three-day tickets for the Playoffs will also be available for up to ¥1,488 CNY (~$166/£154).
