São Paulo to host Pro League S4 finals
ESL has announced that the offline finals of the ESL Pro League Season 4, featuring a $750,000 prize pool, will be held in São Paulo.
The event will take place at Ginásio do Ibirapuera, an indoor sports arena, from October 28-30 and, according to ESL, will feature more spots than previous Pro League finals iterations, with the exact number still to be specified.
This will be the first big international CS:GO tournament hosted in Brazil and also the first Pro League event to take place outside of Europe or North America.
ex-Luminosity (now SK) will try to defend Pro League title at home
ESL's decision to stage the Pro League finals in São Paulo is part of the company's recent expansion to Brazil, which began with the Brazilian Premier League, a tournament that is revitalising the country's competitive scene across multiple esports titles.
"ESL’s recent expansion to Brazil along with the fantastic performance of the current SK Gaming players at our London Finals – and the support from their region and fans, all played a role in picking São Paulo," said ESL vice-president for Pro Gaming Ulrich Schulze.
"The Ginásio do Ibirapuera is an iconic indoor sporting arena. With the teams confirmed so far, we’re 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."
Season 4 of the ESL Pro League will see 28 teams (14 in Europe and 14 in North America) lock horns over an 11-week period. Twenty-six spots have already been determined, with one wildcard slot per region still to be awarded.
ESL's studios in São Paulo will host the group stages of the event ahead of the playoffs at Ginásio do Ibirapuera. Ticket information will be released by ESL in the coming weeks.