The upcoming ELEAGUE tournament series is bringing plenty of excitement to the world of Counter-Strike esports. From September 8 to October 13, the CS:GO Premier 2017 will feature 16 top-tier teams competing for a $1 million prize pool at ELEAGUE’s G-FUEL Arena in Atlanta, Georgia.
The prize pool breakdown for the participating teams is as follows:
First place: $500,000
Second place: $150,000
Third/Fourth place: $70,000
Fifth-Eighth place: $35,000
Ninth-16th place: $8,750
Group Stage
During the group stage, four groups of four teams each will compete in a GSL-style format to secure a spot in the playoff bracket, which will be held from October 10 to 13. Each group will have their own weekend for competition, with the next group competing the following weekend until all four groups are complete. Only two teams from each group will advance to the playoffs.
The group stage will consist of two initial best-of-one openers, followed by a best-of-three winners’ match, a best-of-three losers’ match, and a best-of-three elimination match to determine the two advancing teams.
Group Announcements
ELEAGUE has already announced the twelve teams that will be part of the four groups, as well as the respective competition schedules. These teams were chosen based on their past performances and placements in ELEAGUE seasons one and two in 2016. The fourth spots in each group are reserved for two European/CIS-region teams and two North American teams, who will qualify through online brackets held on August 26 and 27. Group D has an extra qualifier spot due to the ineligibility of ELEAGUE season two champions OpTic Gaming.
Competition Schedule
Here is the schedule for each group:
Week One: Group A – September 8 to 9
- FaZe Clan
- Natus Vincere
- G2 Esports
- TBD
Week Two: Group B – September 15 to 16
- North
- Mousesports
- Fnatic
- TBD
Week Three: Group C – September 22 to 23
- Virtus Pro
- Ninjas in Pyjamas
- Cloud9
- TBD
Week Four: Group D – September 29 to 30
- SK Gaming
- Astralis
- TBD
- TBD
The playoff bracket will feature eight teams competing in a single-elimination format, with best-of-three matches and map vetoes throughout. The maps that will be played include Cache, Cobblestone, Inferno, Nuke, Mirage, Overpass, and Train. In best-of-one matches, teams will alternate ban selections until two maps remain. Best-of-three matches will follow the standard format of two bans, two picks, two bans, and one remaining decider.
All CS:GO ELEAGUE Premier matches will be available for streaming on TBS, Twitch, YouTube, and ELEAGUE’s official website.