ESL launches women's CS:GO circuit

It'll boast a $500,000 prize pool and will kick off in January.

ESL has announced that it has partnered with Intel and DHL to launch and host a women's circuit for Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. Set to start in January with various ESL Cash Cups for teams to be added to the ESEA, the circuit will lead into new leagues, featuring eight different teams and a $150,000 prize pool, which will in turn lead to league finals and DreamHack festival events, for women's rosters to compete for even more prize money.

"By providing an infrastructure equal to their male counterparts, we are thrilled to create more visibility and opportunities for women in the esports space, as well as to support them in their professional development and to help make their dreams come true," said Roberta Hernandez, SVP people and culture at ESL Gaming. "This is only the first part of a number of #GGFORALL initiatives we are currently working on and we can't wait to tell you more about what is yet to come."

This women's circuit will feature a total prize pool of $500,000 and will mark the first step of the tournament organiser's #GGFORALL program that aims to make competitive CS:GO more inclusive.

Aside from just the women's circuit, we're also told that the program will feature further initiatives to decrease ESL's environmental impact and also aid in addressing various other societal issues, such as bullying and verbal abuse.

As part of the women's circuit announcement, ESL has shared an overlying schedule for the 2022 scene, which you can see in full below.