ELEAGUE CS:GO Premier: A New Format and Top Teams
The ELEAGUE CS:GO Premier is back, and this time, it’s going to be a bit different.
Unlike last year’s tournament, which had a lengthy online qualifier stage, sixteen teams, and four weekends for the group stage, this year’s Premier event will feature only eight invited teams. This change is likely due to the busy schedules teams have month after month.
Related: Cloud9 triumphs over FaZe Clan in the ELEAGUE Major: Boston grand final
The competition will include the top teams in CS:GO, such as reigning Major champions Cloud9, ELEAGUE Major 2017 winners Astralis, and defending ELEAGUE Premier champions FaZe Clan. Only two teams from North America, Team Liquid and Mousesports, will be participating along with SK Gaming, Natus Vincere, and Fnatic.
The tournament format will follow the same structure as other international competitions, with a GSL-style group stage taking place from July 21 to 25, followed by a single elimination bracket on July 28 and 29. A notable change for this event is that the final will be a best-of-five, similar to how ESL runs its IEM and ESL One grand finales.
The ELEAGUE CS:GO Premier will showcase a talented lineup of commentators, including Alex “Machine” Richardson, Sue “Smix” Lee, James Bardolph, Daniel “ddk” Kapadia, Jason “Moses” O’Toole, Anders Blume, and Janko “YNk” Paunovic. However, Henry “HenryG” Greer and Matthew “Sadokist” Trivett will not be part of the cast this time. Moreover, this will be the first CS:GO ELEAGUE event without Richard Lewis as the desk host, as he has left his role with Turner Sports.
Although the event may be shorter than what we’re used to, expect sparks to fly when the world’s top eight teams collide.
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