ESL has confirmed that the 2024 edition of IEM China will take place in Chengdu, the capital and largest city of the Sichuan province. The event will take place between April 8 and 14.
IEM Chengdu will feature 16 top teams from all over the world, who will compete for the lion’s share of a $250,000 prize pool and a spot in IEM Cologne’s group stage.
The final three days of the tournament will take place at the Wuliangye Chengdu Performing Arts Centre, a multi-purpose arena that can seat 12,000 people. It was to serve as the homestand venue of Overwatch League franchise Chengdu Hunters in 2020 before the coronavirus pandemic forced the league to cancel all homestand events.
“We’re thrilled to be bringing Intel Extreme Masters back to China for the first time since 2019,” said Marc Winther, Head of Game Ecosystems, Counter-Strike at ESL FACEIT Group.
Four years have passed since our last visit to China. 🇨🇳
— ESL Counter-Strike (@ESLCS) January 15, 2024
Counter-Strike has changed a lot since then.
It's time to write new history.#IEM Chengdu 2024 🐼
🔗https://t.co/JEah6wXO2G pic.twitter.com/DNKuEny93K
“China’s esports community is renowned for its vibrancy and passion, and we’re eager to showcase this as well as emerging talent from the region on a global scale. This return to China reaffirms our commitment to fostering esports growth in the region and recognizes the immense support from Chinese gamers.”
FaZe, G2, FURIA and Complexity are among the ten teams that have been invited to attend IEM Chengdu. The last six spots will be filled through regional qualifiers, with the Chinese qualifier, topped by Lynn Vision, being the only one that has already taken place.
IEM Chengdu will be the second event of 2024 to count toward Intel Grand Slam 5 after IEM Katowice, which will kick off on January 31. Vitality, ENCE, G2, MOUZ and FaZe are all tied in the IGS standings, with one tournament win apiece.
ESL stated that tickets will go on sale in Q1, with more information due to be released in the coming weeks.
