ESL Removes Intel from Grand Slam Title

Recently, it was noticed that the Intel Grand Slam is now simply called ESL Grand Slam. Despite the fact that the official broadcasts of the ESL Pro League Season 21 still used the old name, the final tournament graphics already reflected the updated name. Interestingly, ESL has not yet made an official statement about this change.

In February of this year, ESL and Intel announced a multi-year extension of their partnership, with the press release still using the name Intel Grand Slam V. However, by IEM Katowice 2025, official materials retained the old name, but it disappeared by ESL Pro League Season 21. This marked the first confirmation of possible changes in the partnership between Intel and ESL. Although the Intel Extreme Masters tournament series still retains its sponsor, the Grand Slam is now without the Intel brand. More details on the situation with Intel and IEM can be found in our article via this link.

What has changed and why is it important?
The official name ESL Grand Slam is now established on the organizer's website, and the graphics at the ESL Pro League Season 21 finals also reflected this change. However, the old name was still mentioned on the broadcast and ticker, which might indicate the suddenness of this rebranding.

There is no information yet on whether the renaming is related to the expiration of the sponsorship contract with Intel or if it is simply a rebranding as part of ESL's new strategy. It is important to note that Intel still remains the title partner of the Intel Extreme Masters (IEM) tournament series, but dropping their name from the Grand Slam title could be the first step toward further changes.

Will Intel continue its collaboration with ESL to the fullest extent, or is the CS2 esports scene in for more significant changes? Answers to these questions may emerge at upcoming major tournaments such as ESL Pro League Season 22 or the next IEM events.