Intel Grand Slam Returns with $1m Prize, Spanning Both CS:GO and Upcoming Counter-Strike 2

ESL FACEIT Group and Intel have jointly announced that the Intel Grand Slam, now in its fifth edition, will carry on in Counter-Strike 2. Starting with IEM Rio 2023, the new Intel Grand Slam will encompass events in both CS:GO and CS 2, allowing a team to achieve victory in the Grand Slam through triumphs in both games.

The Intel Grand Slam awards a $1 million (~£810,000) cash prize to the first team that secures four consecutive large-scale event victories organized by ESL within a sequence of 10 events. Teams must also win either IEM Katowice, IEM Cologne, or an ESL-operated CS:GO Major. The $1 million prize goes directly to the players on the winning team, rather than the organization.

In addition, a $100,000 (~£80,000) prize is granted to a team that thwarts another team’s final win toward the Intel Grand Slam by defeating them in a grand final. This prize, however, has not been awarded in the history of the competition. Astralis, Team Liquid, Natus Vincere, and FaZe Clan have claimed the first four Intel Grand Slams, with FaZe earning the most recent victory in late March 2023.

This edition of the Intel Grand Slam is particularly intriguing, as it marks the first time the award will incorporate Counter-Strike 2 tournaments. As Counter-Strike 2 is slated for release in summer 2023 and Grand Slam seasons tend to last for extended periods, the new Grand Slam winners may need to secure victories in both CS:GO and CS2 events to claim the lucrative prize.