ESL Grand Slam in CS2: Rules, All Winners and the Current Race
How the $1,000,000 Grand Slam works, Masters and Championship events, all six winners from Astralis to Vitality's back-to-back, records and the Season 7 race
The ESL Grand Slam, called the Intel Grand Slam until 2025, is one of the most prestigious prizes in Counter-Strike. It's not a tournament: it rewards the team that wins several of ESL's biggest events in a short window. The prize is $1,000,000, but what really counts is the place in history.
Since 2017 only five teams have done it, and one of them twice: Astralis, Team Liquid, Natus Vincere, FaZe Clan and Team Vitality, who won Season 5 and Season 6 back to back. Here are the rules, every winner with their tournaments, the records and where the Season 7 race stands now.
What Is the ESL Grand Slam
The ESL Grand Slam is a $1,000,000 bonus for the first team that wins four ESL Pro Tour tournaments within ten consecutive eligible events. When a team completes it, the race starts again from zero with the next season.
Bonus for the team that completes the Grand Slam, on top of tournament prize money.
Three Masters and one Championship event within ten consecutive ESL Pro Tour events.
The same three players must win all four finals together.
ESL Grand Slam Rules Explained
3 Masters + 1 Championship Within 10 Events
ESL's official wording: the prize goes to the first team to win three ESL Pro Tour Masters tournaments and one EPT Championship tournament within a span of ten consecutive events. A lucky streak at two events isn't enough, the team has to stay on top for a long time.
Masters vs Championship Events
| Type | Events |
|---|---|
| EPT Championship | IEM Kraków (it took Katowice's place in 2026), IEM Cologne, ESL-operated CS2 Majors |
| EPT Masters | ESL Pro League seasons and the other IEM events: Dallas, Atlanta, Rio, Melbourne, Chengdu, Beijing and so on |
At least one of the four wins must be a Championship event, so a team has to prove itself on the biggest stages.
Core Roster: 3 Players
Teams can change players between tournaments, but a core of the same three players has to win all four finals together. A player who leaves and plays an EGS event for another team loses his share of his old team's Grand Slam money.
Results Don't Carry Over
When a Grand Slam is completed, every team starts the next season at zero. Wins from the previous race don't count.
Giant Killer Bonus: $100,000
If a team is one win away and loses the final that would complete its Grand Slam, the team that beat them gets a $100,000 "giant killer" bonus. The exception: if the winner of that final completes its own Grand Slam with it, there's no bonus. ESL says there's no limit to how many giant killer bonuses can be paid in one season.
From Intel Grand Slam to ESL Grand Slam
2017. ESL and Intel announce the Intel Grand Slam: $1,000,000 for the team that dominates ESL's events, not just one tournament. The first season starts in July 2017.
2017-2023, CS:GO. Four seasons, four winners: Astralis, Team Liquid, NAVI and FaZe. The rules got tuned between seasons, but the idea stayed the same.
2023. Counter-Strike 2 replaces CS:GO, and Season 5, which started in April 2023, runs across both games.
March 2025. ESL quietly renames it the ESL Grand Slam, without Intel, and relabels the past seasons. ESL later confirms the race continues after Season 5 with the same $1,000,000 prize.
2025-2026. Vitality wins Season 5 in April 2025 and Season 6 in April 2026, the first back-to-back Grand Slam. Season 7 starts at IEM Atlanta in May 2026.
All ESL Grand Slam Winners
| Season | Winner | Completed | Four wins | Days* |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Astralis | Dec 2018 | DreamHack Masters Marseille 2018, ESL Pro League S7, IEM Chicago 2018, ESL Pro League S8 | 235 |
| 2 | Team Liquid | Jul 2019 | IEM Sydney 2019, DreamHack Masters Dallas 2019, ESL Pro League S9, ESL One Cologne 2019 | 63 |
| 3 | Natus Vincere | Sep 2021 | IEM Katowice 2020, DreamHack Masters Spring 2021, IEM Cologne 2021, ESL Pro League S14 | 566 |
| 4 | FaZe Clan | Mar 2023 | IEM Katowice 2022, ESL Pro League S15, IEM Cologne 2022, ESL Pro League S17 | 404 |
| 5 | Team Vitality | Apr 27, 2025 | IEM Cologne 2024, IEM Katowice 2025, ESL Pro League S21, IEM Melbourne 2025 | 252 |
| 6 | Team Vitality | Apr 19, 2026 | IEM Dallas 2025, ESL Pro League S22, IEM Kraków 2026, IEM Rio 2026 | 329 |
* From the first to the fourth winning final.
Astralis (Season 1, December 2018)
Players: gla1ve, dev1ce, dupreeh, Magisk, Xyp9x. The Danes were the first to complete it and changed how Counter-Strike is played: methodical executes, perfect utility, discipline. Marseille, EPL S7, IEM Chicago and EPL S8 in 235 days.
Team Liquid (Season 2, July 2019)
Players: nitr0, Stewie2K, Twistzz, EliGE, NAF. North America's best moment: four titles in 63 days in the summer of 2019, still the fastest Grand Slam ever.
Natus Vincere (Season 3, September 2021)
Players: s1mple, b1t, electroNic, Perfecto, Boombl4, flamie. The longest chase: 566 days from Katowice 2020 to EPL S14, stretched by the pandemic and roster changes. With s1mple at the top of his game they closed it at Cologne and Pro League in 2021.
FaZe Clan (Season 4, March 2023)
Players: karrigan, Twistzz, ropz, rain, broky. karrigan's international team won Katowice 2022, EPL S15, Cologne 2022 and finally EPL S17 in March 2023, the last Grand Slam completed in CS:GO.
Team Vitality (Season 5, April 2025)
Players: apEX, ZywOo, flameZ, mezii, with Spinx at Cologne 2024 and ropz for the three wins in 2025. Season 5 ran from April 2023 to April 2025 and crossed from CS:GO to CS2. Vitality closed it at IEM Melbourne on April 27, 2025, beating Falcons in the final, the first Grand Slam completed in CS2.
Team Vitality (Season 6, April 2026)
Players: apEX, ZywOo, ropz, flameZ, mezii. The new race started at IEM Dallas in May 2025, and Vitality won it right away. Spirit took Cologne, FURIA Chengdu, NAVI EPL S23, but Vitality added EPL S22, IEM Kraków 2026 and finished at IEM Rio on April 19, 2026 with a 3-0 over Spirit. The first team ever to win two Grand Slams, and back to back.
ESL Grand Slam Season 7: The Current Race
Season 7 started at IEM Atlanta in May 2026. After three events there are three different winners, each with one title (status at the end of October 2026):
| Event | Type | Winner |
|---|---|---|
| IEM Atlanta 2026 (May) | Masters | Natus Vincere |
| IEM Cologne Major 2026 (June) | Championship | Team Falcons |
| ESL Pro League Season 24 (October) | Masters | Team Vitality |
Falcons already have the Championship win they need, the others still have to win Kraków, Cologne or an ESL Major. Vitality are chasing a third Grand Slam in a row.
Next Eligible Events
- IEM Beijing 2026, November 2026 (Masters)
- IEM Kraków 2027, February 2027 (Championship)
- ESL Pro League Season 25, March 2027 (Masters)
- IEM USA 2027, April 2027 (Masters)
- IEM Brazil 2027, May 2027 (Masters)
The official calendar and the "State of the Race" table are on the ESL Grand Slam page.
ESL Grand Slam Records and Trivia
- Fastest
- Team Liquid, 63 days in 2019. Nobody has come close since.
- Longest chase
- Natus Vincere, 566 days from Katowice 2020 to EPL S14, through the pandemic and roster changes.
- Two Grand Slams
- Team Vitality is the only team with two, and won them back to back (Season 5 and 6).
- Most by a player
- Robin "ropz" Kool with three: FaZe in Season 4, Vitality in Season 5 and 6.
- Two with different teams
- Russel "Twistzz" Van Dulken: Team Liquid in 2019 and FaZe Clan in 2023. ropz also did it with two teams.
- Two with one team
- apEX, ZywOo, flameZ and mezii, all with Vitality.
Conclusion
The ESL Grand Slam measures what a single trophy can't: winning again and again across the biggest events. In nine years six seasons were completed, and Vitality turned it into their own record with two in a row. Season 7 is wide open with three different winners after three events, and the next stops are Beijing and Kraków.
ESL Grand Slam FAQ
What is the ESL Grand Slam in CS2?
A $1,000,000 bonus for the first team that wins three ESL Pro Tour Masters events and one Championship event within ten consecutive eligible tournaments.
Which events count as Championship events?
IEM Kraków, IEM Cologne and ESL-operated CS2 Majors. Kraków took the place of IEM Katowice in 2026.
Who has won the Grand Slam?
Astralis (2018), Team Liquid (2019), Natus Vincere (2021), FaZe Clan (2023) and Team Vitality twice (2025 and 2026).
Who won ESL Grand Slam Season 6?
Team Vitality, on April 19, 2026 at IEM Rio, after wins at IEM Dallas 2025, ESL Pro League Season 22 and IEM Kraków 2026.
Why is it no longer called the Intel Grand Slam?
ESL renamed it in March 2025 and removed the Intel branding. The format and the $1,000,000 prize stayed.
What is the giant killer bonus?
$100,000 for the team that beats a Grand Slam contender in the final that would have completed their fourth win.
Which player has the most Grand Slams?
ropz with three: one with FaZe and two with Vitality. Twistzz has two, with Liquid and FaZe.
Who leads Season 7?
At the end of October 2026 NAVI, Falcons and Vitality have one win each. Falcons' win is the Cologne Major, a Championship event.
