Astralis and Gambit Gaming to Sit Out of ESL Cologne
Top teams in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, Astralis and Gambit Gaming, will not be participating in ESL’s third event in Cologne, Germany.
ESL has announced the 16 teams that will be attending the Lanxess Arena event from July 7 to 9.
In April, Astralis declined their direct invitation, citing a tight schedule and their ambition to defend their Major title and win back-to-back majors. The Danish team likely aimed to conserve energy and strategies for the upcoming Krakow Major the following week.
On the other hand, Gambit declined their qualifier invite in May, stating that they couldn’t compete due to an intense schedule. If they had received a direct invitation, the outcome for the popular CIS team could have been different.
The invited teams include SK Gaming, Virtus Pro, FaZe Clan, Fnatic, Natus Vincere, Ninjas in Pyjamas, G2 Esports, North, Cloud9, Immortals, mousesports, and OpTic Gaming. ESL spread out the 12 team invites over the past couple of months, with organizations confirming their participation. This left four team slots open through qualification. Surprisingly, last year’s runner-up, Team Liquid, didn’t receive an invite.
Heroic and Space Soldiers secured spots in the European qualifier, defeating notable teams like Team EnVyUs, GODSENT, BIG, and FlipSid3 Tactics. Team Liquid emerged victorious in the North American qualifier by defeating CLG, while TyLoo claimed the final spot in the Chinese qualifier.
Despite not having Major status, the Brazilian team SK is aiming to win their second title in Cologne. A victory in this event would mark their third trophy of the year.
Teams will need to stay physically and mentally strong following ESL Cologne if they want to be competitive at the Krakow Major.
esports news, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, Astralis, Gambit Gaming, ESL Cologne, Lanxess Arena, Krakow Major, SK Gaming, Virtus Pro, FaZe Clan, Fnatic, Natus Vincere, Ninjas in Pyjamas, G2 Esports, North, Cloud9, Immortals, mousesports, OpTic Gaming.