The Top Esports Tournaments to Watch

The 2024 esports season is shaping up to be one of the most exciting yet, with a packed calendar of major tournaments across some of the world’s most popular games. From Counter-Strike 2 to League of Legends, VALORANT, Rocket League, and more, competitive gaming fans can look forward to thrilling events, intense rivalries, and unforgettable moments. For those eager to stay updated and dive deeper into the competitive scene, Cyber-Sport.io offers insights and updates on the biggest tournaments and trends. Here’s a sneak peek at what’s in store for esports enthusiasts this year.

CDL Major 1

Call of Duty

Jan. 25-28 — Boston, United States

The first Call of Duty League Major of the year will take place in Boston, with qualifiers having started in December and two additional weeks scheduled for January before the main event. As anticipated, the highly competitive Atlanta FaZe and defending champions, the New York Subliners, remain undefeated in the qualifiers. In a surprising turn, the rebranded Miami Heretics have also maintained a perfect 3-0 record. All 12 CDL teams will compete at the Major, with the standings from the qualifiers determining the seeding for the tournament.

IEM Katowice

Counter-Strike 2

Jan. 31 – Feb.11 — Katowice, Poland

IEM Katowice kicks off the first major Counter-Strike tournament of the year and is considered one of the most prestigious events in the CS circuit. With CS2 launching in the fall of 2023, this will be the first time teams compete in CS2 at IEM Katowice, replacing CS

. Defending champions G2 Esports headline the list of eight teams directly qualified, joined by recent CS2 titans FaZe Clan and Team Vitality. Complexity Gaming is the only team from the Americas to secure a direct spot.

The play-in stage will feature a host of top teams, including ENCE and Astralis. Keep an eye on The MongolZ, a Mongolian team that, under the name IHC Esports last year, made it to the top 12 despite lacking organizational support. While Team Liquid won’t be competing, M80 will represent North America alongside Complexity in this high-stakes tournament.

Six Invitational

Rainbow Six Siege

Feb. 13-25 — São Paolo, Brazil

While most esports world championships wrap up the year, Rainbow Six esports starts it off by crowning a new champion. G2 Esports from Europe, the 2023 Six Invitational champions, will be back to defend their title. Joining them from Europe is Virtus.pro, who claimed both stages of the Europe League last year. However, the top favorites are Brazil’s w7m esports, who placed second at SI 2023 and won both Majors last year. In fact, w7m and FaZe Clan, the top two seeds, will represent Brazil in the first-ever Six Invitational hosted in their home country.

North America’s leading seed is Soniqs, although DarkZero Esports and Spacestation Gaming outperformed them at the most recent Major. While teams from Brazil, Europe, or North America are favored to take the title, watch out for SCARZ from Japan and Geekay Esports from the UAE. Both teams reached the top eight in last year’s Majors and could deliver surprise performances.

Games of the Future

Dota 2

Feb. 19-25 — Kazan, Russia

The second major international Dota LAN event will begin shortly after BetBoom Dacha, taking place in Kazan. While top teams from last year—Gaimin Gladiators, Team Liquid, and Team Spirit—haven’t yet received invitations, several spots are still up for grabs. If these teams don’t qualify, Chinese squads like Azure Ray, LGD Gaming, or G2.iG could step up as strong contenders. Given Team Spirit’s Russian heritage, they are likely to receive an invite, making them one of the favorites to watch at this event.

Masters Madrid

VALORANT

March 14-23 — Madrid, Spain

The first VALORANT Champions Tour Masters event of 2024 is scheduled for March, following regional competitions across the Americas, Europe, Pacific, and China. Last year’s dominant teams—Fnatic, Evil Geniuses, LOUD, and Paper Rex—are expected to make a strong showing in Madrid. However, Evil Geniuses are facing uncertainty as defending champions due to financial setbacks and a roster overhaul in the offseason. With their original lineup no longer intact, there’s potential for a new North American team to rise as a top contender in Madrid.

HCS Major 1

Halo

March 15-17 — Arlington, United States

This event kicks off the first of four Halo Majors set for the year, each hosted by a partnered team, beginning with OpTic Gaming. Last season, FaZe Clan defeated OpTic at the HCS World Championship, but OpTic still showed their strength by securing two Major titles with victories in Charlotte and Fort Worth.

Copenhagen Major

Counter-Strike 2

March 17-31 — Copenhagen, Denmark

The year’s first CS2 Major will be held in Denmark, with top contenders emerging based on performances at IEM Katowice and the BLAST spring season. Team Vitality, the reigning Major champions, have remained a dominant force since CS2’s release, even with a refreshed lineup. Key players Dan “apEX” Madesclaire, Mathieu “ZywOo” Herbaut, and Lotan “Spinx” Giladi are joined by newcomers Shahar “flameZ” Shushan and William “mezii” Merriman. Vitality is expected to be a top contender, along with powerhouse teams G2 and FaZe Clan.

 

CDL Major 2

Call of Duty

March 21-24 — Miami, United States

Should the Miami Heretics maintain their winning streak from the Major 1 qualifiers, fans can expect an electric atmosphere as they host their first-ever Major. The top contenders will become clearer following the outcome of Major 1.

RLCS Major 1

Rocket League

March 27-31 — Copenhagen, Denmark

The first RLCS Major of the year will occur following the completion of regional qualifiers from across the globe. Team Vitality, the reigning world champions and winners of the final Major of 2023, will be among the favorites to take the title again, especially with their consistent roster and the addition of superstar Alexis “zen” Bernier. However, with many top teams undergoing significant roster changes, it remains to be seen who will challenge Vitality for the crown this year.

ESL One Birmingham

Dota 2

April 22-28 — Birmingham, United Kingdom

The real contenders for ESL One will start to emerge after the outcomes of BetBoom Dacha and Games of the Future in February. However, expect last year’s top teams, such as Gaimin Gladiators, Team Liquid, and Team Spirit, to continue being strong competitors. Azure Ray triumphed in the final ESL One event of 2023, but with three of their key players now joining Xtreme Gaming—one of the invited teams—the tournament will have a fresh dynamic to keep an eye on.

HCS Major 2

Halo

May TBA — London, United Kingdom

The upcoming HCS Major will be the first of its kind in Europe, giving the tournament host, Quadrant, a significant home-field advantage. After the first Major, we’ll have a better understanding of the top contenders for the championship.

League of Legends Mid-Season Invitational

League of Legends

May 1-19 — Chengdu, China

MSI 2024 is set to return in May, following the conclusion of the spring League of Legends regional leagues worldwide. This year, Riot Games is bringing the event back to China, marking the first time it has been hosted there since 2016 for MSI and 2020 for Worlds. A notable change this year is that the MSI winner will earn an automatic spot at Worlds, with their region also securing an extra berth. Additionally, the second-best performing region will receive another spot at the World Championship. While Korean teams have claimed the last two World titles, Chinese teams have dominated MSI, winning it for the past three years. JD Gaming, the reigning MSI champions, are expected to be strong contenders again, joined by other elite teams from China and Korea.

CDL Major 3

Call of Duty

May 16-19 — Toronto, Canada

Toronto will host another CDL Major, with the Toronto Ultra aiming to be top contenders for the title in their own city.

VCT Masters Shanghai

VALORANT

May 23 -June 9 — Shanghai, China

Riot has revealed that the second VALORANT Masters event of the year will be held after the conclusion of Stage 1 in the VCT regional leagues, taking place between April and early May. This event will also mark the first VALORANT Champions Tour appearance in China, aligning with the introduction of the country’s new regional league this year. As the regional competitions unfold and after the Masters event in Madrid, we’ll get a clearer picture of the top teams and potential qualifiers. Fnatic claimed the only Masters title last year, while EDG was the standout Chinese team of the season.

OWCS Major

Overwatch 2

May 31 – June 2 – Dallas, United States

Overwatch esports is back with a revamped format! While the Overwatch League has come to an end, Blizzard has teamed up with the ESL FACEIT Group (EFG) to launch the Overwatch Champions Series (OWCS) for 2024. This new setup will feature regional qualifiers across North America, Europe (EMEA), and Asia, culminating in the OWCS Major at Dreamhack Dallas. With the Overwatch League no longer in the picture, it will be fascinating to see how organizations rebuild their rosters and which teams will emerge as the dominant forces in the competitive Overwatch scene.

Blast Spring Final

Counter-Strike 2

June 12-16 — London, England

Team Vitality triumphed over FaZe Clan in the most recent Blast final last fall, and both teams are anticipated to be strong contenders for the spring Blast title. We’ll gain a clearer understanding of the top challengers after the outcomes of IEM Katowice and the Copenhagen Major.

CDL Major 4

Call of Duty

June 20-23 — Charlotte, United States

The Royal Ravens, now based in their new location, will host the final CDL Major of the year. After the first three Majors, we’ll gain a clearer understanding of which teams are emerging as the top contenders for the championship.

RLCS Major 2

Rocket League

June 26-30 — location TBA

The second Rocket League Major of the year is scheduled for the end of June. While there were three Majors in each of the past two seasons, this year features only two, following a new season format. We’ll have a clearer idea of the top qualifiers and contenders after the first Major. Last year, European powerhouses like Vitality, BDS, and Karmine Corp were dominant, and they’ll likely be strong contenders if they qualify. However, North American teams remain competitive, and in recent years, top teams from MENA and South America have also made their mark on the scene.

HCS Major 3

Halo

July TBA — Atlanta, United States

FaZe’s Call of Duty team represents Atlanta, and now the organization’s Halo team will be using the city to host the third HCS Major of the year. As the reigning Halo world champions and winners of a Major last season, FaZe enters the tournament as one of the top contenders.

CDL Champs

Call of Duty

Location and dates TBA

While the dates and location for this year’s CDL Champs are still unknown, it’s expected to take place in either July or August. Los Angeles has often been a host city, though last year’s event was held in Las Vegas. The New York Subliners are the defending CDL Champions.

VALORANT Champions

VALORANT

Aug. 1-25 — Seoul, South Korea

The dates and location for this year’s VALORANT Champions event have yet to be confirmed, but it’s expected to take place between August and September, following the usual timeline of the VALORANT Champions Tour season. Riot Games typically schedules League of Legends Worlds in October, so this timing aligns with past events. Evil Geniuses are the reigning champions.

Halo World Championship

Halo

Oct. 4-6 — Seattle, United States

FaZe Clan are the reigning Halo world champions, while OpTic claimed the title in 2022 and finished as runners-up last year. It remains to be seen whether these two teams will dominate the championship race again this year or if other squads will step up to challenge them.

League of Legends Worlds

League of Legends

Final Nov. 2 in London, England

While we know the 2024 League of Legends World Championship final will take place at The O2 in London, the locations for the rest of Worlds remain unclear. It could span various sites across the United Kingdom or possibly other European cities, similar to the setup in 2019.

T1, the defending champions, have been dominant in the past two years and will return with their championship roster, including the legendary Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok. It’s no surprise they are strong favorites to reach The O2 again. If not T1, another Korean team, or perhaps one of the top Chinese teams, could contend for the Summoner’s Cup in London. In 2019, when Worlds was held in Europe, G2 Esports made it to the final, and they are expected to be one of the leading European teams again in 2024. It remains to be seen if they, or another European squad, can rise to the occasion on home turf.

Blast World Final

Counter-Strike 2

Nov. 11-17 — Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

For the third consecutive year, Abu Dhabi will host the Blast World Final. Team Vitality will return as the defending champions.

OWCS Finals

Overwatch 2

Nov. 22-24 – Stockholm, Sweden

The first season of the OWCS will wrap up at Dreamhack Stockholm. While previous Overwatch League LAN events were held in North America and Asia, European fans will now have the chance to experience a top-tier Overwatch competition in this new chapter of Overwatch esports.

Shanghai Major

Counter-Strike 2

Dec. 1-15 — Shanghai, China

December is usually a quiet month for esports, but in 2024, we’ll see a Counter-Strike Major to wrap up the year. This will be the first Major ever held in China, adding a unique twist to the event. While Asian teams have historically not been top contenders in CS, it will be exciting to see which teams from the region qualify and whether playing in front of a home crowd gives them an added advantage.