UPDATE: WORLD champions Astralis will be in attendance when Sydney hosts the biggest esports event ever held in Australia as a massive global pro gaming tour comes down under this May.

The Intel Extreme Masters will kick off its 12th season with IEM Sydney taking place on May 6 and 7 at Qudos Bank Arena. Up to 18,000 Aussie gaming fans will witness the best esports teams in the world compete for a prize pool of $260,000.

The event will see some of the best Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) teams on the planet in attendance with Fox Sports Australia able to confirm the winners at the IEM Katowice world championships, Danish side Astralis, will be competing.

Astralis have dominated the CS:GO scene in recent months winning three of the last four major tournaments they have attended, winning a total of $US854,000 since early December.

Brazilian powerhouses SK Gaming and Aussie side Renegades have already been invited with three other international invitees expected to attend along with local hopefuls.

Two days of group stages will be broadcast online on May 3 and 4 before the main event which includes two best-of-three semi-finals on Saturday and a best-of-five grand final on Sunday.

Pre-sale tickets for Telstra customers and those who have registered interest are on sale now with tickets for the general public available from Monday 13 March at 10AM.

A capacity crowd at the world championships of the Intel Extreme Masters in Katowice, Poland in 2016. Source: Supplied

IEM Sydney will be the first stop on a global tour which has previously made stops in cities like New York, Shanghai, Singapore, Cologne and Sao Paulo.

The Season 11 world championships held in Katowice, Poland saw over a million fans watching concurrently online on major streaming service Twitch alone. Over 40 million people watch online each season.

It’s a coup for Australian esports fans who are used to watching events of this size online, as well as the members of Renegades who will get to compete in front of a partisan home crowd.

“The team is super excited to return to Australia and play in front of a home crowd,” Renegades team manager Chris Orfanellis said.

“I think we will have an advantage playing in front of a home crowd but the matches will be tough.

“Whenever we play events in Asia, North America or Europe we can hear the crowd cheering for the opponents and I think it gives them an edge. It will be a great to experience that and hopefully put us over the edge to take some scalps.”

Renegades has been one of the most successful esports sides to come out of Australia and New Zealand across all games. In August last year the team was purchased by Boston Celtics NBA player Jonas Jerebko.

Australian Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) team Renegades in action. Source: Supplied

IEM Sydney will be the first time Renegades has competed in Australia since the Crown Invitational held in late 2015 at The Palms at Crown in Melbourne, when they fell to Polish side and eventual victors Virtus.pro in the semi-finals.

“Last time we had international teams in Australia the attendance was amazing and the event sold out within minutes of launch,” Orfanellis said.

“I expect a great deal of support for our team but also the international teams who decide to attend.

“I think that’s what will make this event special — all teams will have some backing and it’s a great opportunity for teams to extend their reach into an enriched fan base of Australian esports.”

Fans who attend IEM Sydney will also have opportunities to meet players and enjoy a zone dedicated to playing some of the newest games on the market.