ESL One Cologne moved online - here's everything we know

ESL's flagship CS:GO tournament was also forced online due to the coronavirus outbreak, with the Melbourne 2020 event also affected by the global situation. All tickets remain valid for the 2021 version of the same events.

Cologne postponed

ESL's announcement came in the middle of Road to Rio and shortly after Valve have announced the postponement of The International. The live portions of ESL One Cologne 2020 and IEM Melbourne 2020 were moved to 2021 (with the latter's date confirmed as July 16-18, 2021) while the details for the online replacement events are still a work in progress.

ESL's update reads:

"We have been closely monitoring the developments in regards to the global health situation and want to be as transparent with you, the fans, as possible. After careful evaluation of the upcoming ESL One Cologne and IEM Melbourne events in 2020, we have come to a decision in line with current regulations on large gatherings in both Germany and Australia. As a result of this, both ESL One Cologne and IEM Melbourne will not occur with audiences this year, with both live events postponed until 2021."

Global offensive

The writing was on the wall for quite a while about ESL One Cologne with Germany's ban on large public gatherings until August. As more and more events are cancelled, postponed or moved online, it's quite likely that further tournaments will be affected during the year. With the coronavirus outbreak showing no signs of letting up, announcements like these also increase concerns about the feasibility of the Rio Major itself in November.