Liquid, BC.Game and HEROIC Lead Esports World Cup Qualifier

Sixty-four teams have entered the Esports World Cup Counter-Strike open qualifier, which begins on Aug. 7. The three-day LAN event will award four qualification spots for the $2 million main tournament. Registration is closed and the full field is confirmed.

The qualifier opens with 16 groups of four teams competing in a double-elimination, best-of-one format. The top two teams from each group will advance to a 32-team single-elimination playoff bracket. Playoff matches will be best-of-three.

Four qualification slots are available to teams that progress through the playoff bracket; those teams will join the main event field. The qualifier is scheduled to run Aug. 7-9 as a LAN event.

Entrants include established squads such as Liquid, BC.Game, HEROIC, 100 Thieves, NRG and DENDELE. Organisers confirmed all 28 teams eligible under the VRS ranking accepted invitations to the main Esports World Cup draw.

Organisers attributed the 64-team entry list to the tournament’s international profile and the prize money on offer across the Counter-Strike tournament and the Club Championship.

The open qualifier provides a route for lower-profile teams and new rosters to reach the main event and compete for shares of the $2 million prize pool.