ESL FACEIT Group (EFG) is a German esports organizer and production company formed through the merger of ESL (Electronic Sports League) and the esports platform FACEIT. Based in Cologne, Germany, it is the world’s largest esports company and the oldest still-operational esports organization.
History
ESL was founded in 2000 as the successor to the Deutsche Clanliga, which was established in 1997. In 2015, Modern Times Group acquired a 74% stake for $86 million. In 2022, ESL and FACEIT were acquired for a combined $1.5 billion by Savvy Games Group, a holding company owned by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund. The two companies merged to form ESL FACEIT Group, co-headed by Craig Levine and Niccolo Maisto.
Major Properties
- Intel Extreme Masters (IEM) — the world’s longest-running global esports tournament series
- DreamHack — gaming festivals and esports events
- ESL One — premier offline tournaments across multiple games
- ESL Pro Tour — year-round circuit with ranking systems
- ESL Impact League — women’s Counter-Strike circuit
- ESL Play — online tournament platform