ESL has officially confirmed the list of teams that will take part in IEM Dallas 2025, one of the main tournaments of the year with a prize pool of $1,000,000. The tournament will take place on May 19-25 in Dallas, USA, at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center.

The participants include the top teams of the global Counter-Strike 2 scene. The main stage of the tournament will unite 16 teams: 8 of them received direct invites, and 8 more will be determined through regional closed qualifiers.

Invited teams

Leading teams from different regions received direct invitations to IEM Dallas 2025:

• G2 Esports, Team Vitality, FaZe Clan, Eternal Fire, and MOUZ will compete in the tournament from Europe.
• North America will be represented by Team Liquid.
• South America will be represented by FURIA Esports.
• Asia will be represented by The MongolZ.

It is noteworthy that NAVI and Spirit, two of the most famous teams in Eastern Europe, decided to decline their invitations. Their decision sparked a lively discussion in the community, as many were expecting them to play in the tournament.

Qualifications

For teams that did not receive direct invites, ESL organizes closed qualifiers in four regions.

In Europe, the following teams have already confirmed their participation in the closed qualifiers:

Falcons, GamerLegion, 3DMAX, Astralis, BIG, Heroic, Nexus Gaming, BetBoom, Nemiga Gaming, and Metizport. Five more slots in the qualifiers remain open for the winners of open qualifying tournaments.

In North America, NRG and BOSS will compete for a slot in the main stage, while ATOX and Lynn Vision have confirmed their participation in Asia. The lineup of participants from South America is currently being finalized.

Why did some teams refuse?

Several highly rated teams, including NAVI, Spirit, Virtus.pro, SAW, and Complexity, decided not to participate in the tournament. One of the reasons for such decisions is the teams' busy schedules and logistical difficulties, as well as Valve's rating. Imperial fe also confirmed its refusal, which is not the first time it has missed such competitions.

Prize pool and format

The prize pool of IEM Dallas 2025 will amount to $1,000,000, which will be distributed among the teams as follows:

• 1st place: $125,000 + $160,000 club bonus.
• 2nd place: $50,000 + $100,000 club bonus.
• 3-4 places: $25,000 each + $80,000 bonus for the club.
• 5th-6th places: $12,500 each + $60,000 club bonus.
• 7-8 places: $7,000 each + $40,000 club bonus.
• 9-10 places: $5,000 each + $20,000 club bonus.
• 13th-16th places: $4,000 each, no additional bonus.

This distribution structure not only encourages teams to compete for victory, but also motivates clubs to support their players at the highest level.

IEM Dallas 2025 promises to be a bright tournament that will bring together the best teams in the world and give young teams a chance to prove themselves. Competitions of this level always attract the attention of CS2 fans from all over the world, and this tournament will be no exception.