ESL announces change to Impact League Season 7 Finals

This afternoon, it was revealed that the highly anticipated ESL Impact League Season 7 Finals will culminate in the same arena as the IEM Dallas 2025 playoffs at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center. For the first time, the Grand Final of the women’s Counter-Strike 2 tournament will take place on the main stage alongside IEM Dallas on Sunday, May 25, preceding the IEM championship match.

Historically, the ESL Impact Finals have coincided with IEM Dallas during DreamHack Dallas, with Impact matches held on a side stage. This year, however, ESL officials confirmed structural changes that the ESL Impact Season 7 Finals will take the group stage and semifinals of the event off of the DH Dallas show floor and have it played out behind closed doors in the same ballroom where the IEM Dallas group stage is.

“We’re excited to share that the Grand Final of ESL Impact Season 7 will be played in the Arena of the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center, on Sunday, May 25th. The match will be played prior to the Grand Final of IEM Dallas. In order to accommodate this change, the Global Finals will kick off one day earlier than previous seasons, now starting on Thursday, May 22nd. The first three days of competition will be held in the area where IEM Dallas 2025 Group Stage takes place.”

The decision to host the ESL Impact League Season 7 Finals at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center arena has drawn praise from casual fans of the Impact scene, as it positions CSGO’s premier women’s tournament in front of a larger audience—potentially boosting viewership to new heights.

On the other hand, the news has been received negatively by old fans in the Impact community as it means that many will be unable to support their favorite teams in-person unless they make the finals. The Impact finals have traditionally seen strong turnout from hardcore fan base, players and their families.