Esports events to watch in 2025
The 2025 esports season is shaping up to be one of the most exciting on record, brimming with action and major developments. Iconic games like Counter-Strike, League of Legends, and Valorant are undergoing significant format overhauls, while new tournaments and entire competitive circuits are making their debut. To help fans stay on top of all the action, Esports Charts has put together a comprehensive calendar of the year’s top esports tournaments. Whether you’re following your favorite teams or exploring new esports games, this guide has you covered.
January:
Tier 1 Regional Circuits Split 1 (Jan 12 - Mar 2 // League of Legends). The 2025 League of Legends competitive season is gearing up to launch, with the Chinese league (LPL) kicking things off first. Following closely will be Korea’s new pre-season tournament, the LCK Cup, before other regional leagues get underway. These tournaments will run through late February and early March, determining the full lineup of teams for a new international League of Legends event, which we’ll explore further below.
Kickoff Tournaments (Jan 11 - Feb 9 // Valorant). The 2025 Valorant season is getting an earlier start than in previous years. Kickoff tournaments across the four regional leagues (China, Americas, Pacific, and EMEA) will begin in early January. Running through mid-February, these events will determine the participants for the season’s first Masters tournament. Regular league seasons are expected to follow, though the official dates have not yet been announced.
BLAST Bounty Spring 2025 (Jan 23-26 // Counter-Strike). The highly anticipated Counter-Strike season is just around the corner, promising action from the very start. Kicking things off will be BLAST’s brand-new tournament series. The lineup for the inaugural event has yet to be finalized and will be decided through closed qualifiers happening next week.
FISSURE Playground #1 (Jan 24 - Feb 2 // Dota 2). Fissure’s highly anticipated new tournament series is kicking off this January. Featuring a one-million-dollar prize pool, on par with other premier events of the season, the inaugural competition will be held in Belgrade, the capital of Serbia.
IEM Katowice 2025 (Jan 29 - Feb 9 // Counter-Strike). January’s biggest Counter-Strike event kicks off at the end of the month with IEM Katowice 2025. As one of the most iconic tournaments in the scene, it continues to hold its place as a cornerstone of the competitive season.
ALGS: 2024 Championship (Jan 29 - Feb 2 // Apex Legends). For the first time, Electronic Arts and Respawn have moved the season-ending event to the new calendar year. The championship is expected to shed light on the 2025 season, about which little is currently known, aside from Apex Legends’ confirmed inclusion as a featured title at the Esports World Cup.
CDL 2025: Stage 1 Major (Jan 30 - Feb 2 // Call of Duty). This year, the Call of Duty League is taking things international. After the qualifiers and the newly introduced Minor event, the season’s first Major will kick off in Madrid, marking an exciting start to the 2025 CDL calendar.
OWCS 2025 Stage 1 (Jan 24 - Mar 9 // Overwatch). The Overwatch 2025 season is just around the corner, and Blizzard has opted to stick with the Overwatch Champions Series format introduced last year. Open qualifiers will kick off in January across all regions, paving the way for the start of the regular season.
February:
Valorant Masters Bangkok 2025 (Feb 20 - Mar 2 // Valorant). February will kick off the first international VCT tournament in Southeast Asia, with Masters heading to Thailand. The tournament will feature a new format, shrinking the number of participants to just eight teams (two from each region), making each match even more crucial.
Six Invitational 2025 (Feb 3-16 // Rainbow Six). February will once again host the grand finale of the 2024 Rainbow Six season. With all participants already confirmed and key roster changes made in November and December, teams are expected to be in peak form for the year's most anticipated event.
PGL Cluj-Napoca 2025 (Feb 14-23 // Counter-Strike). PGL has expanded beyond Majors to host regular tournaments, starting with an event in Cluj-Napoca, a city that previously hosted one of these prestigious tournaments. The standout feature of this event is its $1,250,000 prize pool, a sum that will only be seen in CS at PGL, Fissure, and select top-tier tournaments in 2025.
BLAST Slam II (Feb 3-9 // Dota 2). BLAST’s new Dota 2 series made a promising debut late last year, and February will see the second event of the series, offering a prize pool of $1 million.
DreamLeague Season 25 (Feb 16 - Mar 2 // Dota 2). DreamLeague, a long-time favorite of pro players and fans alike, returns for another exciting season in 2025. The first event of the year will kick off in mid-February, offering top-tier Dota 2 action that fans won’t want to miss.
Honor of Kings Invitational 2025 Season 3 (Feb 21 - Mar 1 // Honor of Kings). The Honor of Kings Invitational Season 3 will bring together the best teams from the 2025 preseason across a wide range of regions, including the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, Myanmar, Europe, the Middle East, the Americas, and Japan/Korea/China. This exciting event will be held in Manila, Philippines.
FNCS 2025 Major 1 (Feb 15-16 // Fortnite). The end of winter will kick off the first Major event of the 2025 competitive Fortnite season. Major tournaments will take place across multiple regions, including North America (split into West and Central), Brazil, Asia, the Middle East, Europe, and Oceania, setting the stage for intense global competition. The dates for the remaining Majors and the season-ending tournament will be announced in the coming months.
March:
First Stand 2025 (Mar 10-16 // League of Legends). This tournament promises thrilling matchups, where every game will be decisive. The lineup features only five elite teams: the top representatives from Korea, China, Europe/Middle East, and the newly established LTA (combining North and South America) and LCP (uniting teams from Taiwan, Japan, Vietnam, and Oceania).
ESL Pro League Season 21 (Mar 1-16 // Counter-Strike). The iconic ESL Pro League is set to make its highly anticipated return in early March. This season brings a notable change, as the event relocates to Sweden's ESL studio, moving on from its home in Malta over the past several seasons.
BLAST Open Spring 2025 (Mar 19-30 // Counter-Strike). BLAST Premier's Open series will make its debut in mid-March. The event will bring together the top Valve-ranked teams, alongside four regional qualifier winners, promising an exciting start to the new competition.
RLCS 2025 - Birmingham Major (Mar 27-30 // Rocket League). The new RLCS season will see its first Major in Birmingham, England, at the end of March. This year, Majors introduce exciting additions: 1v1 competitions and a revamped main event structure, now incorporating a Last Chance Qualifiers stage.
LPL, LEC Split 2 (Mar 1 - Jun 1 // League of Legends). Divided into three splits, the Chinese and EMEA leagues are entering their second splits, where teams will battle for coveted spots at the summer Mid-Season Invitational.
Regional Leagues Stage 1 (TBA // Valorant). With the Kickoff tournaments and the first Masters event in the books, the first split of the regular season will kick off, setting the stage to determine the full roster of participants for the year’s second major international event, Masters Toronto 2025.
PGL Wallachia Season 3 (Mar 8-16 // Dota 2). Following its solid viewership in 2024, the PGL Wallachia series is set to return in 2025 with the same format and prize pool.
MPL Spring Splits (MLBB // Mar 1 - Jun 1). Just like last season, most of the regional MPL tournaments will begin in March, according to MLBB schedule, setting the stage for months of intense competition as teams fight for spots in the Mid Season Cup.
PUBG Mobile Global Open 2025 (Mar 1 - Apr 1 // PUBG Mobile). In 2025, the PUBG Mobile Global Open is expanding its global presence, kicking off the year with its first major international event in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.
CDL 2025: Stage 2 Major (Mar 20-23 // Call of Duty). The second Major of the CDL season is set to return to the USA, with Dallas welcoming 12 top teams for an exciting showdown.
April:
PGL Bucharest 2025 (Apr 6-13 // Counter-Strike). PGL’s second tournament of the season, featuring a $1.25 million prize pool, will be hosted in Bucharest, with all matches taking place at the operator’s studio.
YaLLa Compass Qatar 2025 (Apr 15-20 // Counter-Strike). Having established a strong reputation over the years, the YaLLa Compass series is stepping up in 2025 with a high-stakes $600,000 event in Qatar.
LCK Regular Season (Apr 1- Sep 1 // League of Legends). In 2025, the LCK will switch things up with a single, extended split running from April to September, replacing the usual two-split format.
LCP Split 2 (Apr 1 - Jun 1 // League of Legends). On top of the championship title, two coveted spots for the Mid-Season Invitational will be on the line.
ESL One Raleigh 2025 (Apr 7-13 // Dota 2). After a ten-year break, ESL One is coming back to the United States. Teams will battle it out for a share of the million-dollar prize pool and the coveted ESL Pro Tour points, needed for securing a spot at the Esports World Cup.
PGL Wallachia Season 4 (Apr 19-27 // Dota 2). The fourth season of the series will debut shortly after the third, keeping the same format. The next edition is scheduled for November.
CDL 2025: Stage 3 Major (Apr 24-27 // Call of Duty). The third Major of the season will be hosted by Miami Heretics, with the event taking place in nearby Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
ESL Snapdragon Pro Series: Mobile Masters 2025 (TBA // MLBB). One of the biggest 3rd-party MLBB events is set to return this year. The Masters series will mark the finale of Pro Series Year 3 for MLBB, with Jakarta hosting the event in April. The exact date is still pending.
May:
PGL Astana 2025 (May 10-18 // Counter-Strike). Counter-Strike makes its debut in Kazakhstan with a large-scale event hosted by PGL. The tournament will take place at the Barys Arena, the home venue of the hockey team Barys Astana.
Skyesports Masters 2025 (May 26 - Jun 1 // Counter-Strike). Tournament organizer Skyesports continues to gain momentum in the industry, and this spring, we’ll see their $500,000 tournament featuring eight international teams, set to take place in India.
BLAST Slam III (May 5-11 // Dota 2). The third event in the series will follow the same format and feature the same prize pool. Other details about the event are currently unknown.
DreamLeague Season 26 (May 12-25 // Dota 2). The second of the three DreamLeague seasons will take place at the end of May and is likely to play a decisive role in determining which teams will secure direct spots for the highly anticipated Riyadh Masters and TI.
Reload 2025 (TBA // Rainbow Six). Reload, a new series within the R6 esports season, will be the first S-tier tournament of the 25/26 season. The championship will take place in Brazil, with only partner teams competing. The holders of the last two slots for the tournament have yet to be determined, and event dates are still unannounced.
June:
BLAST.tv Austin Major 2025 (Jun 6-22 // Counter-Strike). The first of the two most anticipated CS tournaments of the year will take place in mid-June. Majors are returning to the US after a 7-year hiatus, promising an incredible spectacle that fans will be able to witness live at the Moody Center in Austin.
Valorant Masters Toronto 2025 (Jun 7-22 // Valorant). The first month of summer will also feature the second international Valorant event of the season. For the first time in history, such a major esports event will be held in Canada.
LCK Road to MSI 2025 (TBA - Jun 15 // League of Legends). Ahead of MSI, a new tournament will be held within LCK featuring six teams, where the representative of the country for the main League of Legends mid-season event will be determined.
PUBG Nations Cup 2025 (TBA / PUBG: Battlegrounds). In recent years, the Nations Cup has generated the most excitement among PUBG esports fans, bringing together all-star teams from around the world to represent their countries and compete for national pride.
RLCS 2025 - Major 2 (Jun 26-29 / Rocket League). The second Major of the season will take place in North America, but further details about the event have not yet been revealed.
LEC, LPL Split 3 (Jun 1 - Aug 1 / League of Legends). The final splits of the year in both leagues will begin shortly before MSI. The top teams from each split will secure spots for the World Championship.
CDL 2025: Stage 4 Major (TBA // Call of Duty). Not much is known yet about the final CoD Major of the year, except that it will be hosted in North America.
Mid-Season Invitational 2025 (Jun 27 - Jul 12 // League of Legends). The iconic series will return in July, this time with a reduced number of participants, from 12 to 10. This change promises to make the battle for the title, substantial prize pool, and the coveted Worlds slot more intense and thrilling than ever before.
July:
Esports World Cup (TBA // Multi-game). As of early January, not much is known about the Esports World Cup 2025, except that it will take place and feature an even more impressive lineup of games from last year, including... Chess! By the end of January, we will learn all the titles that will be featured at the event. Some already confirmed games include MLBB, Counter-Strike, Dota 2, PUBG Mobile, and more.
FISSURE Playground #1 (Jul 15-20 // Counter-Strike). The new Fissure tournament series is expanding to Counter-Strike. The inaugural event will also take place in Belgrade, boasting an impressive $1,000,000 prize pool.
IEM Cologne 2025 (Jul 23 - Aug 3 // Counter-Strike). The Cathedral of Counter-Strike is making its grand return for another year. The LANXESS Arena will once again be packed to the brim with fans, as few would want to miss one of the year’s most pivotal tournaments in the game.
LCP Split 3 (Jul 1 - Sep 1 // League of Legends). The third and most crucial split in the pan-Asian region is set to take place from July to September, deciding which teams will represent it at the upcoming Worlds.
Regional Leagues Stage 2 (TBA // Valorant). The second splits in the leagues will take place in July and August, serving as pivotal events for determining the participants of Valorant Champions, as Last Chance Qualifiers are no longer part of the format this season.
CDL Championship (TBA / Call of Duty). The Call of Duty League's season finale has been announced, but organizers are keeping the details about the dates and location under wraps for now.
August:
EVO 2025 (Aug 1-13 // Street Fighter, Tekken, Mortal Kombat, Guilty Gear and more). The legendary series is back with an exciting lineup of games, combining main arena titles with additional tournaments on Evo’s stages. Fans can look forward to classics like Killer Instinct and Virtua Fighter making an appearance.
BLAST Bounty Fall 2025 (Aug 14-17 // Counter-Strike). August is shaping up to be a relatively calm month so far. In Counter-Strike, the highlight among currently announced events will be the BLAST Premier Bounty tournament, set to take place in Copenhagen, Denmark.
BLAST Open Fall 2025 (Aug 27 - Sep 7 // Counter-Strike). BLAST Premier will also host another even in August, this time in the Open series. The competition, featuring 16 teams, will kick off at BLAST Studios in Copengagen for the Group Stage, while the decisive matches will take place at the OVO Arena Wembley in London.
MPL Summer Splits (TBA // MLBB). August is also expected to mark the return of regional leagues in MLBB, where the top-performing teams will secure their spots at the M7 World Championship. First, competitions will take place in Malaysia and Indonesia, followed by MENA and LATAM regions. After that, splits will also begin in Turkey, the Philippines, and Cambodia.
September:
The International 2025 (Sep 1-14 // Dota 2). The 2025 Dota 2 world championship will be held in Hamburg. Germany was home to the very first International, and now, after 13 years, the tournament series is returning to one of Europe’s biggest esports hubs.
Valorant Champions 2025 (Sep 12 - Oct 5 // Valorant). Not much is known yet about the milestone fifth tournament in Valorant's premier series, except that it will take place in Paris, France, and is once again expected to draw hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of viewers.
FISSURE Playground #2 (Sep 9-21 // Counter-Strike). The prize pool for the second event in the series will increase to $1.25 million, raising the stakes for the teams even higher. Like the first event, the second edition will also take place in Belgrade, the capital of Serbia.
StarLadder StarSeries Season 20 (Sep 13-21 // Counter-Strike). The legendary series continues as the renowned Ukrainian operator is finally resuming its operations in Counter-Strike. The competition will be held offline in Budapest, Hungary, a city where big CS events are a rare sight.
RLCS 2025 - World Championship (Sep 9-14 // Rocket League). Rocket League will also join the lineup of season-ending events. Details about the RLCS World Championship are still scarce, except that the prize pool has increased to $1.2 million.
LTA Regional Finals (TBA // League of Legends). In September, the decisive matches for the unified pan-American region will take place. Three teams from both North and South America will battle for three spots at the League of Legends World Championship, and with such high stakes, every match will be crucial.
October:
Worlds 2025 (TBA // League of Legends). The exact dates of the event have not been announced yet, but it's confirmed to take place between September and November. It's probably unnecessary to emphasize that this is the most anticipated tournament of the year, as its statistics speak for themselves.
Thunderpick World Championship 2025 (Oct 15-19 // Counter-Strike). The GRID tournament series will return this year, with the final event scheduled for mid-October. The prize pool will remain hefty at $850,000, just like last year.
PGL Belgrade 2025 (Oct 25 - Nov 2 // Counter-Strike). If there are any European cities where esports will thrive in 2025, Belgrade is certainly set to be one of them.
November:
Game Changers Championship 2025 (TBA // Valorant). Not much is known about the upcoming tournament, but it is confirmed to take place, and we will find out the new best Valorant team among females and other underrepresented genders.
PUBG Mobile Global Championship 2025 (Nov 1 - Dec 1 // PUBG Mobile). Not many details are known yet about the final PUBG Mobile tournament of the year. What we do know is that the finals will be held in Thailand in November-December.
BLAST R6 Major November 2025 (TBA // Rainbow Six). There's still a long way to go until November, so more details about the tournament, including exact dates, will be revealed later.
FFWS Global Finals 2025 (TBA // Free Fire). The Free Fire esports season this year is similar to the one presented last year. The main tournament is scheduled for November, but other details are still scarce.
OWCS 2025 World Finals (TBA // Overwatch). The situation is similar in Overwatch, where the main change is the addition of an extra international event in the first half of the season. Details about the finals are still unavailable.
DreamLeague Season 27, BLAST Slam IV & V, PGL Wallachia Season 5 (Nov 3-30 // Dota 2). Dota 2 doesn’t slow down after TI. An exciting lineup of major events will keep the action coming all the way through the year’s end.
Free Fire World Series Global Finals 2025 (TBA // Free Fire). Дата проведения The main Free Fire tournament of the year пока не определена, пока лишь точно подтверждено, что он состоится в ноябре.
CS Major #2 (Nov 24 - Dec 14 // Counter-Strike). The second and final Major of the Counter-Strike year will be held in Budapest and be organised by Starladder. This marks the first time that Starladder has hosted a Counter-Strike Major since 2019 with the Berlin Major on CS:GO.
December:
PUBG Global Championship 2025 (TBA // PUBG: Battlegrounds). The last tournament in the series saw strong viewership numbers, nearly reaching the highs the title experienced during its peak from 2017 to 2019. With the game celebrating its eighth anniversary this year, it’s thrilling to imagine what’s next.
Early 2026:
M7 World Championship (TBA // MLBB). The World Championship for the most popular mobile esports title (outside of Chinese streaming) has been pushed to the new calendar year, with the tournament now set for January 2026.
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