Counter-Strike: Global Offensive will see its first major tournament in South America as the world\u2019s largest esports company brings the finals of the ESL Pro League to S\u00e3o Paulo, Brazil. Played out in the Gin\u00e1sio do Ibirapuera on October 28-30, the finals will crown champions for the upcoming US$750,000 season, set to span 11 weeks across both North America and Europe.<\/p>\n
\u201cESL\u2019s recent expansion to Brazil along with the fantastic performance of the current SK Gaming players at our London Finals \u2013 and the support from their region and fans, all played a role in picking S\u00e3o Paulo,\u201d said Ulrich Schulze, VP Pro Gaming at ESL. \u201cThe Gin\u00e1sio do Ibirapuera is an iconic indoor sporting arena. With the teams confirmed so far, we\u2019re confident that any who make it to the final will put up a great show for what are sure to be thousands of local and international fans.\u201d<\/p>\n
The fourth season of the ESL CS:GO Pro League, which kicks off August 17, is set to be the largest to date: each regional division will hold fourteen teams, with one wildcard slot from each region yet to be awarded. More teams than in previous seasons will qualify for the Season 4 offline finals, with offline group stages to be held at the ESL Studios in S\u00e3o Paulo in the lead-up to the public event. Additional information regarding these points and offline finals ticketing will be made public via official product channels in the coming weeks.<\/p>\n
Season 3 of the ESL CS:GO Pro League concluded in a sold-out arena in London, with both online and offline numbers marking the largest UK viewership of an FPS (first person shooter) event in the industry. The nine week competition saw a peak year-on-year growth of over 60% for online content consumed, with a global season viewership increase of over 40%, reaching more than 13 million online sessions. Over 1.2 million unique viewers tuned in to watch and follow the action. Related content shared through Facebook amassed a total of 5.3 million views. A combined total of over 39 million impressions were recorded on ESL-owned social media, with an astounding 5.7 million engagements fostered on Twitter and Facebook.<\/p>\n
The upcoming ESL CS:GO Pro League season will be the first one sanctioned by WESA, which includes direct representation and influence by the players through the newly voted Player Council.<\/p>\n