After closing the 2015 winter season at the TaKeTV studios in Krefeld, the ESL Meisterschaft is returning to Duisburg. Landschaftspark Duisburg is the place that saw the very first open-air finals in the 14-year history of the ESL Meisterschaft and its predecessor, the ESL Pro Series Germany. However, besides having this very special place for its finals, the 2016 spring season also has quite a few improvements on last year’s edition.
The total prize pool has gone up to €50,000, a significant increase for both CS:GO and League of Legends at €20,000 each, while the finals in Duisburg will have a screen better equipped for sunny weather as well as multiple seating upgrades and more. Besides the regular day, weekend and premium tickets, there will also be team tickets, which will give interested groups of five fans additional ways to customize their experience. Tickets are already on sale, and you can find full details of the event on the German Eventbrite page.
Michael Bister, ESL’s head of pro gaming in Germany, said of the improvements for spring 2016:
“Seeing our first steps for 2016, I’m very happy and can’t wait for the start of our spring season. As we had two spectacular days in Duisburg in 2015, we are looking forward to making the 2016 spring finals a memorable event for both teams and fans among the impressive scenery at the Landschaftspark.
Increasing the prize pool was one of my main goals for the new season as supporting the teams in living the esports dream is what we want to achieve. We hope to see some great matches throughout the season and I hope to have even more good news for the English-speaking fans of German esports soon.”
The ESL Meisterschaft will see the first of five cups being played on March the 7th and 8th, leading towards the group stage to determine the four finalists who will be playing in Duisburg.