Yesterday evening, ESL issued a statement addressing the scheduling conflict between PGL Astana and IEM Dallas, confirming that teams will be allowed to attend both events despite logistical challenges.
At the moment, this decision affects teams such as G2, Eternal Fire, The MongolZ, FURIA, and GamerLegion, who will attempt to compete in Kazakhstan (May 10-18) before flying to Dallas (May 19-25) with minimal turnaround time.
Even ESL admitted that they are taking a “tremendous risk” with this decision, acknowledging potential forfeits if travel delays occur.
Complexity GM calls out ESL
Not everyone agrees with ESL’s stance. Complexity’s General Manager, Graham “messioso” Pitt, publicly criticized the move on X, arguing that it sets a “terrible precedent” for tournament integrity.
– [ESL] should have removed every team who couldn’t guarantee their arrival per the terms of the invite. Terrible precedent set that teams can control when they arrive and a TO will bend to it, especially after being warned prior, messioso wrote.
He continued:
– Fines don’t reduce prizemoney earned so VRS value is still fully intact. Other teams have the integrity of their matches effected due to late scheduling compared to the standard of other ESL events.
ESL’s stance: Travel risks and potential penalties
The main controversy stems from scheduling, as PGL Astana concludes on May 18, just one day before IEM Dallas begins on May 19.
Teams making the Top 4 in Astana will have to fly overnight, arriving in Dallas on the same day as their first tournament match at 12:45 PM local time.
To address the issue, ESL has implemented travel coordination with PGL and introduced penalties for late arrivals:
- Teams missing their media obligations will be fined $4,000 and have 5% of their prize money deducted.
- Late arrivals due to travel delays could result in forfeits, which could impact tournament integrity and viewership.
You can read the entire statement by ESL here.
Here are some other reactions and takes on ESL’s decision:
