A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | CH | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9
 | |
| Sport | eSports (StarCraft II) |
|---|---|
| Founded | September 2010 |
| CEO | Jung Chan Yong |
| Country | South Korea |
| Most recent champion(s) | Cho "Maru" Seong Ju |
| Most titles | Cho "Maru" Seong Ju (8 titles) |
| Official website | https://bj.afreecatv.com/gslenglish |
Global StarCraft II League (GSL) is a StarCraft II tournament held in South Korea from 2010 to the present. It has been hosted by afreecaTV since 2016;[1] GOMeXp (formerly GOMTV) hosted it from 2010–2015. Blizzard Entertainment was involved in co-producing and co-funding it for much of its history, although their involvement reduced in later years. For the first two years of the tournament, it featured two leagues, Code S (major) and Code A (minor); afterward it ran as a single combined tournament.
An English language stream is available, aimed at a global audience. The English cast was mainly performed by Dan "Artosis" Stemkoski and Nicolas "Tasteless" Plott until 2022; in 2023, it switched to Tasteless and Ryan "State" Visbeck. Early broadcasts were done on GOMTV's website and player; it switched to Twitch and Afreeca's own platform after Afreeca took over; and the program now broadcasts on Mondays and Thursdays, with the English casts on YouTube, since 2020.
As of the end of 2015 GSL Season 2, GOMTV has awarded over 3.6 billion Korean won (over $3.1 million USD) from the individual GSL and Arena of Legends leagues in StarCraft II.
History
The 2010 Open Seasons were the first tournaments for the GSL, featuring three initial events with an overall prize pool of 600 million Korean Won (approximately US$500,000) and a prize of 100 million Won for the winner. These attracted attention as they featured the largest prize pool in the history of e-Sports.[citation needed] The Open Seasons were used to sort the players into Code S and Code A for the 2011 season.[2]
The major tournaments of the early era were divided into Code S and Code A. Code S is the major league and consists of 32 top players in Korea, with the winner of Code S crowned GSL champion. Code A is the minor league, also of 32 players. The initial rules were that the winner of the Code A tournament automatically qualifies to Code S. The top seven Code A players and bottom eight Code S players participate in Up & Down Matches in groups of five players. The top two of each group qualified to Code S. Code A qualifiers were also held before the start of a new season. Top ranking players (informally called Code B) on the Korean Battle.net server were allowed to participate, as were invited foreign players.
For the 2011 GSL November season, it was announced that the format would be changing.[3] The new format would be a dual tournament format with double-elimination four-player groups, where losing players in Code S immediately drop to Code A.[4] The new GSL format meant that there would no longer be a Code A champion, but rather victors would proceed into the Code S tournament.
The 2012 tour changed the tournament format slightly, resulting in a longer season. Due to the extended season, there was only be 5 GSL tournaments in the year.[5]
In 2013, the GSL and the OnGameNet Starleague (OSL) jointly ran the Korean qualifier league for Blizzard Entertainment's World Championship Series (WCS) under the name "WCS Korea".[6]
OnGameNet stopped its StarCraft II activities in 2014, and the GSL became the only individual league in South Korea. It ran every season of WCS Korea under its own name again (GSL).[7]
In 2015, the GSL and SPOTV's newly established StarCraft II StarLeague (SSL) ran parallel to each other as the focus of professional play in South Korea. Each league had three seasons throughout the year, for a total of six individual league seasons.[8]
The GSL and the SSL continued to run as parallel leagues in South Korea for 2016. Each league had two seasons throughout the year, for a total of four individual league seasons, with the finalists of their first and second seasons playing in the first and second season Cross-Finals events.[9] The first season of GSL for WCS 2016 was preceded by two GSL Pre-Season tournaments which both granted seeding into the main competition to their respective winners.[10]
Some years, the organizers have run Super Tournaments as side events. The 2010 Super Tournament was a 64-man tournament featuring a prize pool of 202 million Korean Won. Participants are determined by the total GSL points obtained throughout the year.[11] Super Tournaments were also run in 2011 and in 2017–2022.
In 2023, it was reported that the GSL will continue, but with a reduced presence: the first tournament in 2023 played the preliminary matches online, presumably due to Blizzard no longer funding the prize pools.[12] They reversed the decision to move early round matches online after the conclusion of the first season, and restored the event to the studio for the later 2023 seasons.[13]
Casters
The English-language broadcast was performed for years by Dan "Artosis" Stemkoski and Nick "Tasteless" Plott, a combination known as "Tastosis." The pair were considered a major draw of the tournament and helped establish a new standard in esports commentary in the English-language market, with the pair praised as "fan favorites" and their work praised as iconic to the medium. Artosis departed from Korea to move to Canada in 2022, with his last cast being of the 2022 GSL S3 Final in October 2022.[14] From 2023 to the present, the cast is done by Tasteless and Ryan "State" Visbeck.
Champions
Code S and other Major Tournaments
This is a list of all major GSL tournaments. They are considered equal by AfreecaTV and the winner of any of these tournaments is called a GSL champion.
| Regular Season | World Championship | Super Tournament | Blizzard/HOT6 Cup | Open Season |
| Year | Name of Tournament | Winner | Result of Final | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | TG-Intel STARCRAFT II Open Season1 | Kim "Fruitdealer" Won Gi (TSL) (Zerg) | 4 - 1 | Kim "Rainbow" Sung Je (ST) (Terran) |
| 2010 | Sony Ericsson STARCRAFT II Open Season2 | Lim "NesTea" Jae Duk (IM) (Zerg) | 4 - 3 | Lee "MarineKing" Jung Hoon (Prime) (Terran) |
| 2010 | Sony Ericsson STARCRAFT II Open Season3 | Jang "MC" Min Chul (oGs) (Protoss) | 4 - 1 | Park "Rain" Seo Yong (TSL) (Terran) |
| 2011 | Sony Ericsson Global StarCraft II League Jan. | Jeong "Mvp" Jong Hyeon (IM) (Terran) | 4 - 0 | Lee "MarineKing" Jung Hoon (Prime) (Terran) |
| 2011 | 2nd Gen. Intel Core Global StarCraft II League Mar. | Jang "MC" Min Chul (oGs) (Protoss) | 4 - 1 | Park "July" Sung Joon (ST) (Zerg) |
| 2011 | LG Cinema 3D World Championship Seoul | Jeong "Mvp" Jong Hyeon (IM) (Terran) | 4 - 2 | Lee "MarineKing" Jung Hoon (Prime) (Terran) |
| 2011 | LG Cinema 3D Global StarCraft II League May | Lim "NesTea" Jae Duk (IM) (Zerg) | 4 - 0 | Song "InCa" Joon Hyuk (oGs) (Protoss) |
| 2011 | LG Cinema 3D GSL Super Tournament | Choi "Polt" Sung Hoon (Prime) (Terran) | 4 - 0 | Moon "MMA" Sung Won (SlayerS) (Terran) |
| 2011 | Pepsi Global StarCraft II League July | Lim "NesTea" Jae Duk (IM) (Zerg) | 4 - 0 | Hwang "LosirA" Kang Ho (IM) (Zerg) |
| 2011 | Pepsi Global StarCraft II League August | Jeong "MVP" Jong Hyeon (IM) (Terran) | 4 - 1 | Kim "TOP" Jung Hoon (oGs) (Terran) |
| 2011 | Sony Ericsson Global StarCraft II League Oct. | Moon "MMA" Sung Won (SlayerS) (Terran) | 4 - 1 | Jeong "Mvp" Jong Hyeon (IM) (Terran) |
| 2011 | Sony Ericsson Global StarCraft II League Nov. | Jung "jjakji" Ji Hoon (NSHoSeo) (Terran) | 4 - 2 | Lee "Leenock" Dong Nyung (FXO) (Zerg) |
| 2011 | 2011 Blizzard Cup | Moon "MMA" Sung Won (SlayerS) (Terran) | 4 - 3 | Park "DongRaeGu" Soo Ho (MVP) (Zerg) |
| 2012 | 2012 Hot6ix Global StarCraft II League Season 1 | Park "DongRaeGu" Soo Ho (MVP) (Zerg) | 4 - 2 | Jung "Genius" Min Soo (MVP) (Protoss) |
| 2012 | 2012 Hot6ix Global StarCraft II League Season 2 | Jeong "MVP" Jong Hyeon (LG-IM) (Terran) | 4 - 3 | Park "Squirtle" Hyun Woo (StarTale) (Protoss) |
| 2012 | 2012 Monsieur J Global StarCraft II League Season 3 | Ahn "Seed" Sang Won (LG-IM) (Protoss) | 4 - 1 | Jang "MC" Min Chul (SK Gaming) (Protoss) |
| 2012 | 2012 Hot6ix Global StarCraft II League Season 4 | Lee "Life" Seung Hyun (StarTale) (Zerg) | 4 - 3 | Jeong "MVP" Jong Hyun (LG-IM) (Terran) |
| 2012 | 2012 Hot6ix Global StarCraft II League Season 5 | Kwon "Sniper" Tae Hoon (MVP) (Zerg) | 4 - 3 | Ko "Hyun" Seok Hyun (TSL) (Zerg) |
| 2012 | 2012 Blizzard Cup | Lee "Life" Seung Hyun (StarTale) (Zerg) | 4 - 2 | Won "PartinG" Lee Sak (StarTale) (Protoss) |
| 2013 | 2013 Hot6ix Global StarCraft II League Season 1 | Shin "RorO" No Yeol (Samsung KHAN) (Zerg) | 4 - 2 | Kang "Symbol" Dong Hyun (AZUBU) (Zerg) |
| 2013 | 2013 WCS Korea Season 1 MANGOSIX GSL | Kim "Soulkey" Min Chul (WoongJin Stars) (Zerg) | 4 - 3 | Lee "INnoVation" Shin Hyung (STX SouL) (Terran) |
| 2013 | 2013 WCS Korea Season 3 JOGUNSHOP GSL | Baek "Dear" Dong Jun (SouL) (Protoss) | 4 - 2 | Eo "soO" Yoon Su (SK Telecom T1) (Zerg) |
| 2013 | 2013 HOT6 Cup | Jeong "Rain" Yoon Jong (SKT T1) (Protoss) | 4 - 2 | Kim "Soulkey" Min Cheol (WoongJin Stars) (Zerg) |
| 2014 | 2014 HOT6 Global StarCraft II League Season 1 | Joo "Zest" Sung Wook (KT Rolster) (Protoss) | 4 - 3 | Eo "soO" Yoon Su (SKT T1) (Zerg) |
| 2014 | 2014 HOT6 GSL Global Tournament | Joo "Zest" Sung Wook (KT Rolster) (Protoss) | 4 - 3 | Won "PartinG" Lee Sak (SKT T1) (Protoss) |
| 2014 | 2014 HOT6 Global StarCraft II League Season 2 | Kim "Classic" Doh Woo (SKT T1) (Protoss) | 4 - 2 | Eo "soO" Yoon Su (SKT T1) (Zerg) |
| 2014 | 2014 HOT6 Global StarCraft II League Season 3 | Lee "INnoVation" Shin Hyung (SKT T1) (Terran) | 4 - 2 | Eo "soO" Yoon Su (SKT T1) (Zerg) |
| 2014 | 2014 HOT6 Cup | Kim "sOs" Yoo Jin (JinAir Greenwings) (Protoss) | 4 - 1 | Lee "MarineKing" Jeong Hoon (MVP) (Terran) |
| 2015 | 2015 Global StarCraft II League Season 1 | Lee "Life" Seung Hyun (KT Rolster) (Zerg) | 4 - 3 | Won "PartinG" Lee Sak (yoe Flash Wolves) (Protoss) |
| 2015 | 2015 SBENU Global StarCraft II League Season 2 | Jung "Rain" Yoon Jong (mYinsanity) (Protoss) | 4 - 1 | Han "ByuL" Ji Won (CJ Entus) (Zerg) |
| 2015 | 2015 HOT6 Global StarCraft II League Season 3 | Lee "INnoVation" Shin Hyung (SKT T1) (Terran) | 4 - 2 | Han "ByuL" Ji Won (CJ Entus) (Zerg) |
| 2016 | 2016 HOT6 Global StarCraft II League Season 1 | Joo "Zest" Sung Wook (KT Rolster) (Protoss) | 4 - 2 | Jun "TY" Tae Yang (KT Rolster) (Terran) |
| 2016 | 2016 HOT6 Global StarCraft II League Season 2 | Byun "ByuN" Hyun Woo (Terran) | 4 - 1 | Kim "sOs" Yoo Jin (JinAir Greenwings) (Protoss) |
| 2017 | 2017 HOT6 Global StarCraft II League Season 1 | Kim "Stats" Dae Yeob (Splyce) (Protoss) | 4 - 2 | Eo "soO" Yoon Su (Zerg) |
| 2017 | 2017 HOT6 GSL Super Tournament I | Kim "herO" Joon Ho (ROOT Gaming) (Protoss) | 4 - 2 | Han "aLive" Lee Seok (mYinsanity) (Terran) |
| 2017 | 2017 HOT6 Global StarCraft II League Season 2 | Koh "GuMiho" Byung Jae (PSISTORM Gaming) (Terran) | 4 - 2 | Eo "soO" Yoon Su (Zerg) |
| 2017 | 2017 GSL vs. the World | Lee "INnoVation" Shin Hyung (Terran) | 4 - 0 | Jun "TY" Tae Yang (Splyce) (Terran) |
| 2017 | 2017 HOT6 Global StarCraft II League Season 3 | Lee "INnoVation" Shin Hyung (Terran) | 4 - 3 | Kim "sOs" Yoo Jin (Protoss) |
| 2017 | 2017 HOT6 GSL Super Tournament II | Lee "Rogue" Byung Ryul (Jin Air Green Wings) (Zerg) | 4 - 3 | Kim "herO" Joon Ho (ROOT Gaming) (Protoss) |
| 2018 | 2018 Global StarCraft II League Season 1 | Cho "Maru" Seong Ju (Jin Air Green Wings) (Terran) | 4 - 2 | Kim "Stats" Dae Yeob (Splyce) (Protoss) |
| 2018 | 2018 GSL Super Tournament I | Kim "Stats" Dae Yeob (Splyce) (Protoss) | 4 - 3 | Park "Dark" Ryung Woo (Zerg) |
| 2018 | 2018 Global StarCraft II League Season 2 | Cho "Maru" Seong Ju (Jin Air Green Wings) (Terran) | 4 - 0 | Joo "Zest" Sung Wook (Protoss) |
| 2018 | 2018 GSL vs. the World | Joona "Serral" Sotala (ENCE eSports) (Zerg) | 4 - 3 | Kim "Stats" Dae Yeob (Splyce) (Protoss) |
| 2018 | 2018 Global StarCraft II League Season 3 | Cho "Maru" Seong Ju (Jin Air Green Wings) (Terran) | 4 - 3 | Jun "TY" Tae Yang (Splyce) (Terran) |
| 2018 | 2018 GSL Super Tournament II | Kim "Classic" Doh Woo (The Gosu Crew) (Protoss) | 4 - 3 | Kim "sOs" Yoo Jin (JinAir Greenwings) (Protoss) |
| 2019 | 2019 Mountain Dew Global StarCraft II League Season 1 | Cho "Maru" Seong Ju (Jin Air Green Wings) (Terran) | 4 - 2 | Kim "Classic" Doh Woo (Splyce) (Protoss) |
| 2019 | 2019 GSL Super Tournament I | Kim "Classic" Doh Woo (Protoss) | 4 -1 | Koh "GuMiho" Byung Jae (PSISTORM Gaming) (Terran) |
| 2019 | 2019 Global StarCraft II League Season 2 | Park "Dark" Ryung Woo (Zerg) | 4 - 2 | Cho "Trap" Sung-ho (Jin Air Green Wings) (Protoss) |
| 2019 | 2019 GSL vs. the World | Joona "Serral" Sotala (Zerg) | 4 - 2 | Mikołaj "Elazer" Ogonowski (Zerg) |
| 2019 | 2019 Global StarCraft II League Season 3 | Lee "Rogue" Byung Ryul (Jin Air Green Wings) (Zerg) | 4 - 0 | Cho "Trap" Sung-ho (Jin Air Green Wings) (Protoss) |
| 2019 | 2019 GSL Super Tournament II | Park "Dark" Ryung Woo (Zerg) | 4 - 0 | Jun "TY" Tae Yang (Splyce) (Terran) |
| 2020 | 2020 AfreecaTV GSL Super Tournament I | Cho "Maru" Seong Ju (Jin Air Green Wings) (Terran) | 4 - 3 | Park "Dark" Ryung Woo (Dragon Phoenix Gaming) (Zerg) |
| 2020 | 2020 Global StarCraft II League Season 1 | Jun "TY" Tae Yang (Afreeca Freecs) (Terran) | 4 - 0 | Kim "Cure" Doh Wook (Dragon Phoenix Gaming) (Terran) |
| 2020 | 2020 Global StarCraft II League Season 2 | Lee "Rogue" Byeong Yeol (Jin Air Green Wings) (Zerg) | 4 - 1 | Kim "Stats" Dae Yeob (Afreeca Freecs) (Protoss) |
| 2020 | 2020 Global StarCraft II League Season 3 | Jun "TY" Tae Yang (Afreeca Freecs) (Terran) | 4 - 2 | Cho "Maru" Seong Ju (Jin Air Green Wings) (Terran) |
| 2020 | 2020 AfreecaTV GSL Super Tournament II | Cho "Trap" Sung-ho (Protoss) | 4 - 3 | Kim "Stats" Dae Yeob (Afreeca Freecs) (Protoss) |
| 2021 | 2021 AfreecaTV GSL Super Tournament I | Cho "Trap" Sung-ho (Afreeca Freecs) (Protoss) | 4 - 2 | Park "Zoun" Han-sol (Alpha X) (Protoss) |
| 2021 | 2021 Global StarCraft II League Season 1 | Lee "Rogue" Byeong Yeol (Dragon Phoenix Gaming) (Zerg) | 4 - 1 | Cho "Maru" Seong Ju (Team NV) (Terran) |
| 2021 | 2021 AfreecaTV GSL Super Tournament II | Cho "Trap" Sung-ho (Afreeca Freecs) (Protoss) | 4 - 2 | Park "Zoun" Han-sol (Alpha X) (Protoss) |
| 2021 | 2021 Global StarCraft II League Season 2 | Park "Dark" Ryung Woo (Dragon Phoenix Gaming) (Zerg) | 4 - 1 | Cho "Trap" Sung-ho (Afreeca Freecs) (Protoss) |
| 2021 | 2021 Global StarCraft II League Season 3 | Kim "Cure" Doh Wook (Dragon Phoenix Gaming) (Terran) | 4 - 2 | Joo "Zest" Sung Wook (Dragon Phoenix Gaming) (Protoss) |
| 2022 | 2022 AfreecaTV GSL Super Tournament I | Joo "Zest" Sung Wook (Dragon Phoenix Gaming) (Protoss) | 4 - 3 | Park "Dark" Ryung Woo (Dragon Phoenix Gaming) (Zerg) |
| 2022 | 2022 Global StarCraft II League Season 1 | Lee "Rogue" Byung Ryul (Dragon Phoenix Gaming) (Zerg) | 4 - 2 | Jang "Creator" Hyun Woo (Team NV) (Protoss) |
| 2022 | 2022 Global StarCraft II League Season 2 | Kim "herO" Joon-ho (Dragon Phoenix Gaming) (Protoss) | 4 - 1 | Cho "Maru" Seong Ju (ONSYDE Gaming) (Terran) |
| 2022 | 2022 Global StarCraft II League Season 3 | Cho "Maru" Seong Ju (ONSYDE Gaming) (Terran) | 4 - 0 | Shin "RagnaroK" Hee Bum (AlphaX) (Zerg) |
| 2022 | 2022 AfreecaTV GSL Super Tournament II | Kang "Solar" Min-soo (ONSYDE Gaming) (Zerg) | 4 - 3 | Park "Dark" Ryung Woo (Dragon Phoenix Gaming) (Zerg) |
| 2023 | 2023 Global StarCraft II League Season 1 | Cho "Maru" Seong Ju (ONSYDE Gaming) (Terran) | 4 - 2 | Kim "Cure" Doh Wook (Club NV) (Terran) |
| 2023 | 2023 Global StarCraft II League Season 2 | Cho "Maru" Seong Ju (ONSYDE Gaming) (Terran) | 4 - 2 | Park "Dark" Ryung Woo (DKZ Gaming) (Zerg) |
| 2023 | 2023 Global StarCraft II League Season 3 | Kang "Solar" Min Soo (ONSYDE Gaming) (Zerg) | 4 - 1 | Koh "GuMiho" Pyung Jae (Cloud9) (Terran) |
| 2024 | 2024 Global StarCraft II League Season 1 | Cho "Maru" Seong Ju (Team Vitality) (Terran) | 4 - 1 | Kim "herO" Joon-ho (DKZ Gaming) (Protoss) |
- 2011 GSL October took place in Anaheim, California during BlizzCon. This was the first GSL final to take place outside South Korea.[15]
- 2012 Hot6ix GSL Season 5 took place at IPL 5 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Pre-Season Tournaments
Preceding the beginning of 2016 HOT6 Global StarCraft II League Season 1, two Pre-Season tournaments were held by AfreecaTV, with the winner of each being seeded into the main event.