Counter Strike: Global Offensive
German broadcaster ProSieven MAXX has cancelled its weekend coverage of Counter-Strike: Global Offensive in wake of the recent Munich shooting. Valve

Following the success of the recently concluded IEM Rio Major tournament, esports tournament organizer ESL has announced that The Intel Extreme Masters Counter-Strike: Global Offensive tournament will return to Brazil in 2023.

IEM Brazil 2023 will be included in the ESL Pro Tour for "Counter-Strike: Global Offensive" in 2023, Forbes reported. The tour is one of the major CS:GO circuits featuring top competitions in well-known cities like Katowice, Poland, and Cologne, Germany. Brazil's inclusion on this schedule will undoubtedly boost the tour's prestige even more.

At the moment, there are no confirmed dates for the event, nor is the precise location in Brazil known. There are only two available slots for a top-tier event on the ESL Pro Tour schedule, one in the spring from April 17–23 and one in the fall from October 16–22. Given the time of the recent Brazilian Major, the latter of the two looks more likely.

At this point, what's certain is that the 16 best CS:GO teams will be heading to Brazil sometime next year to battle for a piece of the $250,000 prize pool.

"Revealing our plans for the next year is always an important milestone for us! A clear goal each year is to give players, teams, talent, fans, and partners alike the opportunity to plan their year with us well in advance," said Shaun Clark, the Senior Director of Game Ecosystems – CS:GO at ESL.

"It's exciting to be looking forward to over 40+ tournaments around the globe, serving all tiers of the CS:GO competitive pyramid – from aspiring to professional," Clark added. "While we've planned out these tournaments, our work is not done, as we look to improve and continuously work on putting on amazing experiences for all of our global community."

The announcement was made on the final day of the IEM Rio CS:GO Major. The top CS:GO teams from around the world have been vying for the title of global champions in Rio over the past few weeks. This is the first Major in Brazil and the first top-level tournament to organize a LAN event there despite the country being a top region in CS:GO for years.