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Hang on to your hats, Counter-Strike 2 (CS2) esports fans! The Opening Stage of the second-ever CS2 Major Championship has finished, and this weekend (technically Thursday), the Elimination Stage is set to begin, so here’s what you need to know.
Shanghai Major Elimination Stage detailsJust like the Opening Stage, the Elimination Stage features a 16 Team Swiss System format, with the top eight teams moving on to the Playoffs. There are 16 teams competing, including the eight directly qualified teams, and eight that have made it past the first stage of competition.
The Elimination Stage of the Perfect World Shanghai Major runs from 5 to 8 December 2024, where the top eight teams will advance to the Playoffs.
Elimination Stage teams:* G2 Esports * NAVI * Team Vitality * MOUZ * FaZe Clan * Team Spirit * HEROIC * 3DMax * The MongolZ * Team Liquid * paiN Gaming * FURIA Esports * GamerLegion * MIBR * BIG * Wildcard gaming
Unfortunately for fans of South African CS, Complexity Gaming, which contains Johnny “JT” Theodosiou from South Africa and coach Tiaan “T.c” Coertzen, has been eliminated during the Opening Stage. We will, however, see Aran “Sonic” Groesbeek with Wildcard Gaming compete in the Elimination Stage.
You can watch all the Perfect World Shanghai Major main event matches via the PGL Twitch channel. Stay tuned, as weâ€ll bring you the results throughout the next few weeks.
Header image via Perfect World.
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It’s that time of the year again: a time of celebration and a time to enjoy the biggest, crowning Counter-Strike 2 (CS2) event of the year. We are, of course, talking about the Perfect World Shanghai Major 2024, a tournament that no esports fan should miss out on. Here’s what you need to know.
Shanghai Major important detailsThe Perfect World Shanghai Major takes place in Shanghai, China…obviously. A total of 24 teams are competing for their share of the massive $1.25 million prize pool. At the current Dollar to Rand exchange rate, that’s roughly R22.6 million to fight for.
The action begins with the Opening Stage this weekend, running from 30 November to 3 December 2024. Then, the Elimination Stage will take place from 5 to 8 December. Finally, the Playoffs Stage will run over the weekend of 12 to 15 December, and we’ll see a champion get crowned that Sunday. The first two stages both feature 16 Team Swiss System Format, with the top eight teams moving on. The Playoffs Stage features a single-elimination bracket, where all matches are BO3.
Opening Stage teams:* Wildcard * The MongolZ * Complexity Gaming * FlyQuest * BIG * Rare Atom * Team Liquid * MIBR * FURIA Esports * paiN Gaming * Imperial Esports * Fnatic * Cloud9 * GamerLegion * Virtus.pro * Passion UA
Elimination Stage teams:* G2 Esports * NAVI * Team Vitality * MOUZ * FaZe Clan * Team Spirit * HEROIC * 3DMax
Thanks to their standings on Valve’s leaderboards, eight teams have qualified directly to the Elimination Stage. You can watch all the Perfect World Shanghai Major main event matches via the PGL Twitch channel. Stay tuned, as we’ll bring you the results throughout the next few weeks.
Header image via Perfect World.
The post Perfect World Shanghai Major complete viewer’s guide appeared first on Esports Central.
As the Shanghai Major RMR events rage on, there’s even more awesome Counter-Strike 2 (CS2) esports action for fans to devour. Yes, the ESL Impact League Season 6 finals are taking place this weekend, and you definitely shouldn’t miss out on the all-female tournament. Let’s discuss the most important details.
ESL Impact League S6 detailsThe ESL Impact League Season 6 tournament finals take place at the Stockholmsmässan venue in Stockholm, Sweden, featuring the best eight all-female teams in the world. These teams are competing this weekend, from 22 to 24 November 2024. Yes, the tournament does take place at the DreamHack Stockholm 2024, so there’s going to be a huge crowd to cheer the players on.
The teams are fighting for their share of the $123,000 prize pool. At the current Dollar to Rand exchange rate, that’s roughly R2.2 million to compete for. You’ll find the list of teams competing below, sorted in no particular order.
- NAVI Javelins
- FURIA fe
- Imperial fe
- FlyQuest RED
- Fluxo Demons
- BIG EQUIPA
- NIP Impact
- dream catchers fe
The event format features two double-elimination GSL-style groups, with each group having four teams. Opening and winner’s matches are BO1, and elimination/decider matches are BO3. The top two teams from each group will make their way to the semifinals of the Playoffs. The Playoffs feature a single-elimination bracket, where all matches, including the grand finale, are BO3.
You can catch all the CS2 esports action via the official ESL CS Twitch channel or watch the highlights and videos after matches have cbeen ompleted via the DreamHack YouTube channel.
Header image via ESL.
The post ESL Impact League Season 6 viewer’s guide appeared first on Esports Central.
It’s been a joy to watch all the Perfect World Shanghai Major RMR events take place, with the APAC, American, and European A RMRs already completed. The final piece of the puzzle is the European B RMR, which Counter-Strike 2 (CS2) esports fans can enjoy this week. Here’s what you need to know.
Shanghai Major European B RMR event detailsThis is a LAN event without any crowd, with teams competing in Shanghai, China. The event runs this week, from 21 to 24 November 2024. The tournament format is a 16-team Swiss System. Elimination and advancement matches are best-of-three, and the rest of the matches are best-of-one. Check out the list of teams qualified for the Perfect World Shanghai Major European B RMR event below. The top eight here have qualified via Valveâ€s RMR leaderboard, while the rest made their way through the qualifiers.
All 16 Teams Competing:* G2 Esports * Team Spirit * HEROIC * Eternal Fire * Virtus.pro * Astralis * 3DMAX * NIP * Aurora Gaming * BIG * TSM * Passion UA * B8 * PARIVISION * Sashi Esport * 9Pandas
We can’t wait to find out which teams will make it through the European B RMR event, as the European A event already provided some upsets. Once this event is completed, the full team list for the main event of the Perfect World Shanghai Major will be available.
You can watch the European B RMR event matches via the PGL Twitch channel. Since the tournament takes place in China, the start times of matches are great for South Africa, ranging from 10:00 to 13:00 start times each day.
Header image via Valve.
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It’s been wild watching the top-tier Counter-Strike 2 (CS2) esports action from the Regional Major Rankings (RMR) events so far, with both the Asia-Pacific and American tournaments delivering tonnes of exciting matches.
There are even some South Africans with international teams who managed to qualify for the main event of the second-ever CS2 Major Championship, namely Aran “Sonic” Groesbeek with Wildcard Gaming, as well as Complexity’s IGL, Johnny “JT” Theodosiou and coach Tiaan “T.c” Coertzen.
American RMR resultsWe are excited to report that not only did Wildcard Gaming qualify via the American RMR with Aran “Sonic” Groesbeek, but they ended first in the event, beating Team Liquid with a score of 16-12 in the opening match on Inferno, then paiN Gaming 13-10 on Nuke, and then 9z Team with a 2-0 to go up 3-0 and qualify for the main event of the Major Championship.
Complexity beat BESTIA 13-7, and then BOSS 16-12 then lost 2-0 to MIBR before stabilizing and pulling things back against M80 with a clean 2-0 to qualify for the main event of the Major Championship. Check out all eight teams who qualified below.
- Wildcard Gaming
- MIBR
- Complexity
- paiN Gaming
- Team Liquid
- Imperial
- FURIA Esports
- M80
APAC RMR resultsThe APAC region was quite wild, except for The MongolZ, who was expected to top the group and did just that as the best team from the region. Chinese side Rare Atom, who went through the entire China qualifier with a plethora of teams competing, managed to claim the second place, while Australian side FlyQuest snagged the third and final spot.
Congratulations!
Stay tuned as this week, both the European RMR events will take place. You can catch all the action via the PGL Twitch channel.
Header image via Perfect World.
The post Shanghai Major American & APAC RMR results appeared first on Esports Central.
The excitement is brewing for the second-ever Counter-Strike 2 (CS2) Major Championship to begin. Still, before teams can compete in the main event, they have to qualify via their regional RMR events. We’ve already covered the APAC RMR, and now, it’s time to look at the American RMR event details, so strap in!
Shanghai Major American RMR detailsAll the RMR events for the Perfect World Shanghai Major take place in China. These are LAN events with no spectators, which means all 16 teams are in China right now, but only 7 of the 16 American RMR teams will make it to the main event of the Perfect World Shanghai Major.
There’s a lot on the line for all the teams competing. The American RMR takes place this week, from 12 to 15 November 2024. The teams have qualified either via direct invite, thanks to their standings on Valve’s leaderboard, or via a North/South American qualifier. Check out the team list below.
Teams competing:* Team Liquid (Direct Invite) * Complexity (Direct Invite) * FURIA Esports (Direct Invite) * 9z Team (Direct Invite) * M80 (Direct Invite) * paiN Gaming (Direct Invite) * Imperial Esports (Direct Invite) * MIBR (Direct Invite) * Nouns Esports (North American Qualifier) * Wildcard Gaming (North American Qualifier) * Legacy (North American Qualifier) * BOSS (North American Qualifier) * Case Esports (South American Qualifier) * BESTIA (South American Qualifier) * KRÜ Esports (South American Qualifier) * Red Candis (South American Qualifier)
The format is a 16-team Swiss System. Elimination and advancement matches are best-of-three, and the rest of the matches are best-of-one, leaving little room for error.
You can watch the action via the PGL Twitch channel. Since the event takes place in China, the start times of matches are quite good, ranging from 10:00 to 13:00 each day.
Header image via Valve.
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While South African Counter-Strike 2 (CS2) teams (Bravado Gaming and The Punishers) couldn’t make it through the MENA qualifier for the Perfect World Shanghai Major to earn a spot in the Asia-Pacific (APAC) RMR, we are still super excited for the event to begin. Here’s your guide to the event so you don’t miss out, featuring the must-know details.
Shanghai Major APAC RMR detailsThe Shanghai Major APAC RMR runs this week, from 11 to 13 November 2024. We’ll see the best eight teams from the region compete for only three spots in the Opening Stage of the Major, so there’s a lot on the line.
There are eight teams competing at the APAC RMR tournament. Three of them have earned a direct invite thanks to their standings on Valve’s leaderboard, and the rest made it through by winning a regional qualifier. Check out the team list below.
Teams competing:* The MongolZ (Direct Invite) * Lynn Vision Gaming (Direct Invite) * FlyQuest (Direct Invite) * DRILLAS (Middle Eastern Qualifier) * Rare Atom (Chinese Qualifier) * TALON (Oceanic Qualifier) * GR Gaming (East Asian Qualifier) * Alter Ego (Southeast Asia Qualifier)
Teams are competing in a double-elimination bracket format. The opening matches are best-of-one, and all the rest of the matches are best-of-three, with the top three teams moving on and the bottom five getting eliminated. Keep in mind that this is a LAN event that doesn’t feature any spectators.
You can watch the action via the PGL Twitch channel. Since the event takes place in China, the start times of matches are quite good, ranging from 10:00 to 13:00 each day.
Header image via Perfect World.
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As one of the crowning Counter-Strike 2 (CS2) esports events of the year, we are utterly excited for the BLAST Premier World Final 2024 to begin. The event, which runs from 30 October until 3 November, is something no CS2 fan should miss out on, so we’ve got some important details to share.
BLAST World Final detailsThe best eight CS2 teams in the world, who qualified by winning a huge tournament such as the Copenhagen Major, IEM Cologne, IEM Katowice, or a Fall / Spring Finals event, alongside a few from the BLAST leaderboards, are competing in the BLAST World Final 2024 event.
The BLAST World Final 2024 tournament takes place in Sentosa, Singapore, at the Resorts World Convention Centre. All matches will be played on LAN in front of a huge crowd, with the best casters and presenters in the world bringing us all the action live. Teams are competing for their share of the $1 million prize pool. A the current Dollar to Rand exchange rate, that’s roughly R17.6 million.
Teams Competing:* NAVI * Team Spirit * G2 Esports * FaZe Clan * MOUZ * Team Vitality * Astralis * Team Liquid
The format is a single-elimination bracket, and all matches are best-of-three, except for the grand finale, which promises to be a best-of-five slugfest. We can’t wait!
You can catch all the action via the official BLASTPremier Twitch channel and catch up with highlights via the BLAST Premier YouTube channel. Stay tuned at Esports Central, as we’ll also cover the final standings and results from the event.
Header image via BLAST Premier.
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It’s been a wild ride at ESL Pro League Season 20, as Counter-Strike 2 (CS2) esports fans were treated to record-breaking performances and quite a few upsets. Here’s what went down in the playoffs at the InterContinental Malta venue (Saint Julian’s, Malta) for those who couldn’t catch the action live.
ESL Pro League S20 resultsAfter three weeks, ESL Pro League Season 20 came to a thrilling conclusion in Malta of the past weekend, with a best-of-five grand finale that went the distance.
At the start of the event, NAVI topped Group A, while Eternal Fire came in second place. Then, when the single-elimination playoffs began, NAVI showcased their top form, beating Team Spirit 2-0 and G2 Esports with a solid 2-1 victory to earn a spot in the finals.
On the other side of the bracket, Eternal Fire had to claw their way through three exciting matches. The Turkish side reverse-swept TheMongolz after going down on the first map, then beat Team Vitality with a 2-1 where the final map went into triple overtime and managed to sweep MIBR under the rug.
In the grand finale of ESL Pro League Season 20, Eternal Fire made a powerful statement by beating NAVI 13-8 on their map pick. NAVI recovered quickly, however, winning both Anubis and Ancient with 13-11 scores. Eternal Fire then pushed back hard on Inferno, convincingly beating NAVI with a 13-4 score. On the fifth and final map, NAVI recovered in style, beating Eternal Fire 13-10 and thereby winning ESL Pro League Season 20 with a 3-2 score in the grand finale.
THE #ESLProLeague XX FINAL STANDINGS! 🔢
Here's how all 32 teams placed here in Malta! ⤵️
— ESL Counter-Strike (@ESLCS) September 22, 2024
Congratulations go out to NAVI for winning ESL Pro League Season 20 and the first-place prize of $170,000. Eternal Fire, for their magnificent run, gets $80,000 as the second-place prize.
Header image via ESL.
The post NAVI beats Eternal Fire to win ESL Pro League S20 appeared first on Esports Central.
There’s no rest for Counter-Strike 2 (CS2) esports fans, and honestly, that’s awesome! Just as one big event finishes up, another begins. This week, ESL Pro League Season 20 kicks off, and it runs for a full three weeks. Here’s what you need to know so you don’t miss any of the action.
ESL Pro League Season 20 detailsESL Pro League Season 20 is a huge LAN event running from 3 to 22 September 2024, with the best CS2 teams in the world in attendance. A total of 32 teams are competing for their share of the $750,000 prize pool in Saint Julian’s, Malta, in front of a crowd at the InterContinental Malta venue. At the current Dollar to Rand exchange rate, that’s roughly R13.3 million to fight for.
The action begins with four triple-elimination format groups, with each group featuring eight teams. All matches are best-of-three. The first-place teams advance to the Quarterfinals of ESL Pro League Season 20, while the 2nd-place teams advance to the Round of 12 in the playoffs as the High Seeds. The third-placed teams in each group advance to the Round of 16 as the High Seeds, while the 4th-placed teams advance to the Round of 16 as the Low Seeds. The rest are eliminated.
Group A teams:
- FlyQuest
- Eternal Fire
- Sangal Esports
- FaZe Clan
- Lynn Vision
- NAVI
- NIP
- HEROIC
Group B teams:
- The MongolZ
- Wildcard
- MIBR
- 9z Team
- Team Spirit
- KOI
- G2 Esports
- 3DMax
Group C teams:
- Imperial Esports
- BIG
- Rooster
- MOUZ
- Complexity
- Fnatic
- M80
- Astralis
Group D teams:
- ATOX Esports
- Team Vitality
- Team Falcons
- FURIA Esports
- ENCE
- Team Liquid
- Virtus.pro
- RED Canids
The teams who survive the group stage will compete in a single-elimination bracket, where all matches are best-of-three, with the exception of the grand finale, which is best-of-five.
You can catch all the CS2 esports action via the official ESL CS Twitch channel. We can’t wait to see which team comes out on top. Will NAVI, Team Vitality, or Team Spirit reign supreme? Will FaZe Clan find their form, or will another victor emerge? We’ll share all the highlights and results here at Esports Central, so stay tuned!
Header image via ESL.
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With the dust still settling over IEM Cologne 2024, there’s even more Counter-Strike 2 (CS2) esports action to look forward to this week. Yes, the BLAST Premier Fall Showdown 2024 is about to begin, and we’ve got you covered with a no-nonsense viewer’s guide, so let’s jump in.
BLAST Fall Showdown detailsUnlike the Groups and Final, the BLAST Premier Fall Showdown is an online event played on European servers. 16 teams are competing to qualify for only two spots at the BLAST Premier Fall Final 2024 taking place in September in Denmark. The tournament runs this week, from Wednesday, 21 August, until Sunday, 25 August 2024.
There’s also a prize pool of $135,000 to fight for. At the current Dollar to Rand exchange rate, that’s roughly R2.4 million! The tournament format is super simple. It’s just a single-elimination bracket, where all matches are best-of-three. This leaves no room for error! Some big-name teams who didn’t make it through the Fall Groups are in attendance, including NIP, and yes, this is not a typo…FaZe Clan! Check out the teams competing and opening matchups below.
- FaZe Clan vs. Rare Atom
- HEROIC vs. OG
- Cloud9 vs. paiN Gaming
- NIP vs. AMKAL Esports
- Team Falcons vs. M80
- Virtus.pro vs. Zero Tenacity
- BIG vs. GamerLegion
- Complexity vs. Metizport
You can watch all the esports action from BLAST Premier Fall Showdown 2024 on the tournament organizer’s official Twitch channel, so don’t miss out. The action kicks off at roughly 15:30 SAST, so it should be great for local fans to watch.
Header image via BLAST Premier.
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In Saudi Arabia, at Riyadh Boulevard City 5v5 Arena, we saw 15 of the best Counter-Strike 2 teams compete for their share of the $1 million prize pool at Esports World Cup 2024. Here’s what went down if you couldn’t watch the action live.
Esports World Cup 2024 resultsIn the Opening Stage of the EWC 2024 CS2 event, we saw G2 Esports beat MongolZ in a rather close 2-0, with the Asian team pushing G2’s powerful team into overtime. At the same time, Na’Vi beat Brazillian squad FURIA Esports with a convincing 2-0.
Watch our highlights video of the EWC 2024 final below to find out what happened, or continue reading, or both!
After seven teams made it out of the Opening Stage, we saw FURIA Esports recover from their loss against Na’Vi and win the Resurrection Stage, claiming the final spot in the playoffs.
In the EWC 2024 playoffs, G2 Esports beat Team Spirit 2-1 and smashed Virtus. Pro with a 2-0 to claim their spot in the grand finale.
On the other side of the single-elimination bracket, Na’Vi pulled off a huge 2-0 win against FaZe Clan and reverse-swept MOUZ 2-1 to make it to the grand finale.
In the Grand Final of the EWC 2024, G2 Esports won the first map, Ancient, after pushing it into overtime with a 16-14 final score. That didn’t stop Aleksi “Aleksib” Virolainen’s men as they recovered in spectacular fashion, beating G2 Esports with a reverse sweep, scoring 13-6 on Nuke and 13-6 on Inferno to close out the series.
Congratulations go out to Na’Vi for winning the lion’s share of the $1 million prize pool at $400,000 and earning 1,000 EWC Club Points. For their valiant efforts, G2 Esports limps away with $175,000 in prize money and 600 EWC Club Points.
Remember, you can watch more Esports World Cup action for the huge variety of esports titles by tuning into the EWC Twitch or EWC YouTube channels.
Header image via Esports World Cup Foundation.
The post EWC 2024 results & highlights: Na’Vi reverse-sweeps G2 appeared first on Esports Central.
If you happen to be in Cape Town or surrounding areas and love esports or just mingling with your fellow gamers, then you can cancel your plans for Sunday, 28 July 2024. ATK Arena is hosting a great event at their venue in Cape Town. It’s called Winter PlayFest 2024, so here’s what you need to know!
ATK Winter PlayFest 2024 detailsThe ATK Winter PlayFest runs from 10:00 to 18:00 on Sunday, 28 July 2024. Tickets cost R120 per person. You can purchase a ticket to the ATK Winter PlayFest 2024 by heading to the event’s Quicket page and picking up a Day Pass. Spaces are, of course, limited, so get one while you still can and mark those calendars.
Day Pass details:* General access to the event. * Various free-play sessions throughout the day. * Access to Red Bull chill lounge. * Entry into exclusive ATK giveaways.
You can also enter tournaments for R30, available to purchase at the door only. A Day Pass is required to purchase tournament access.
❄️ We present to you, the ATK Winter PlayFest! ❄️
This isn’t just about gaming; it’s a celebration of the Esports community, a multi-genre event packed with intense competitions and endless fun. Whether you’re a pro gamer, a casual player, or even a passionate fan, there’s… pic.twitter.com/kGUHNYainX
— ATK (@AtkArena) July 14, 2024
On the event’s Quicket page, ATK listed some great games and activities attendees can expect, namely:
- Fortnite – Sharpen your shooting skills and lead your team to glory in our epic 1v1 Box Fights!
- FC24 – Lace up your virtual boots and compete in our next-gen FC24 kick-off battles.
- Tekken 8 – Show off your martial arts prowess and fight your way to victory in our 1v1 Iron Fist Showdown.
- F1 – Feel the adrenaline rush as you race against the best in our high-speed F1 hot-laps challenge.
- League of Legends (LoL) – Gather your team, strategize, and completely dominate the Rift in our action-packed LoL ARAMs.
- Call of Duty Mobile – Lock and load for intense firefights and strategic gameplay in our COD Mobile tournaments.
- Apex Legends – Gear up and outplay your opponents in multiple fast-paced, competitive battle royales.
- Beat Saber VR – Immerse yourself in the rhythm and slash your way through our Beat Saber VR challenge.
For those who don’t know yet, ATK Arena’s address is 91 Main Road, Claremont, Stadium on Main Parkade, Ground Floor Level 1, Cape Town, South Africa, 7708.
Stay up-to-date with the latest from ATK Arena by following the organization on Twitter, liking its Facebook page, and visiting its website.
Header image via ATK.
The post ATK Winter PlayFest 2024 taking place this Sunday appeared first on Esports Central.
With Counter-Strike 2 (CS2) events starting up again after “rostermania,” there’s a lot of excitement in the air. Not only will we see many new team setups in action, but the BLAST Premier Fall Groups 2024 is undoubtedly an exciting, top-tier event. Let’s jump in for all the important details.
BLAST Fall Groups 2024 detailsThe BLAST Fall Groups 2024 event takes place from 29 July to 4 August 2024. It is a LAN event held at the BLAST Studio in Copenhagen, Denmark, where teams will compete for their share of the $190,000 prize pool. At the current Dollar to Rand exchange rate, that’s roughly R3.4 million. The biggest prize for many teams, however, is the six spots at the BLAST Premier Fall Finals 2024 up for grabs.
The tournament format starts with four double-elimination groups, with the winning team from each group advancing to the Fall Final and the second-place team to the Play-In stage of the competition. During the Play-In stage, a single-elimination bracket will determine the two teams who make it to the Fall Final. All matches in the BLAST Premier Fall Groups event are best-of-three.
A total of 16 teams will compete for only six spots at the BLAST Premier Fall Final 2024, while the rest have one last shot at qualifying via the Fall Showdown. The groups and opening matchups have already been decided, as per a post from BLAST.tv. Check out the matchups with start times in SAST below.
Group A:* Spirit vs OG – 12:00 on 29 July * HEROIC vs Complexity – 14:30 on 29 July
Group B* Vitality vs GamerLegion – 17:00 on 19 July * Astralis vs Falcons – 19:30 on 29 July
Group C* FaZe vs Cloud9 – 12:00 on 31 July * G2 vs NIP – 14:30 on 31 July
Group D* NAVI vs BIG – 17:00 on 31 July * Liquid vs Virtus.pro – 19:30 on 31 July
You can catch all the BLAST Premier Fall Groups 2024 action via the official BLASTPremier Twitch channel. Enjoy!
Header image via BLAST.tv / Michal Konkol.
The post BLAST Fall Groups 2024 viewer’s guide appeared first on Esports Central.
South African tournament organizer Mettlestate never lets us down, never giving up on bringing local gamers with one-day cash cups, and never hurting us with a week barren of events. Yes, that was intentional; now, let’s dive into the most important details.
Mettlestate Cash Cups detailsBy our count, there are six Cash Cups from Mettlestate for South African gamers to compete in. Check out the essential details, such as start date, time and tournament format below.
- Garena Free Fire Cup – Solos Battle Royale tournament starting Monday, 22 July 2024, at 19:30.
- Brawl Stars Cup – 3v3 tournament starting Tuesday, 23 July 2024, at 19:30.
- EA FC 24 Cup – 1v1 tournament starting Wednesday, 24 July 2024, at 19:30.
- Clash Royale Cup – 1v1 tournament starting Thursday, 25 July 2024, at 19:30.
- Chess Cup – 1v1 tournament starting Saturday, 27 July 2024, at 19:30.
- Marvel Snap Cup – 1v1 tournament starting on Saturday, 27 July 2024, at 19:30.
It is very likely that there will be another event on Saturday, 27 July 2024. However, details are not available at the time of writing.
Please note: The information about Mettlestate’s Cash Cups was sourced via the Mettlestate event page. All times in the list below are in SAST.
Registrations for these one-day cash cups close roughly two hours before the events begin, with check-in during the hour before. All tournaments above are free to enter and feature a base prize pool of R1,000, which increases to R2,000 depending on the players’ VIP status.
Prize pool distribution:* 1st place: R500 (R1,000 with VIP) * 2nd place: R300 (R600 with VIP) * 3rd place: R200 (R400 with VIP)
As it has quickly become a tradition, there are also an additional five community cups to participate in this week. While these don’t have prize pools, Mettlestate can upgrade them later to Casual Cups if there’s enough community attention. Don’t forget to keep updated with the latest happenings for Mettlestate tournaments by following them on Twitter and joining their Discord server.
Header image via Garena.
The post Mettlestate Cash Cups this week | 22 to 28 July 2024 appeared first on Esports Central.
Hold onto your hats! The League of Legends patch 14.1 update has arrived, and if the title didn’t give it away properly, it is gigantic! The popular MOBA title might just feel like a new game to many, especially with the map and itemization changes. Let’s dive in.
LoL 14.1 update highlightsSo, we aren’t going to go through all the LoL changes. You can check out the full patch notes for the 14.1 update on the official LoL site, as posted by Riot Games. The update’s patch notes are a whopping 197 pages long and over 30,000 words.
To prepare you for the wealth of changes, we’ve just listed the update highlights below.
- Mythic items are removed. Dozens of new items were added.
- Baron Nashor gets three new forms and impacts terrain.
- Rift Herald changes, and you can now ride it!
- Big changes to Summoner’s Rift, including terrain adjustments.
- New monsters from the Void which you can take on in the Jungle.
- Infernal terrain changes and drakes.
- New Ranked season begins with several changes to LP gain and more.
- New Champion skins and seasonal challenges.
With LoL 14.1, the 2024 Ranked Season also starts with a tonne of changes in its own right. One important thing to note for competitive Ranked players is that for 2024, the season is divided into three Splits, with Split 1 running from January to May 2024.
Header image via Riot Games.
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If you are a Counter-Strike esports fan, then you definitely shouldn’t miss out on the HLTV Awards Show 2023, taking place this weekend. Here’s what you need to know so you don’t miss out on this amazing experience.
HLTV Award Show 2023 detailsThe HLTV Award Show is like the Oscars of esports if you are into Counter-Strike! It takes place this weekend, on Saturday, 13 January 2023. The start time is 18:00 CET, which is 19:00 here in South Africa. The HLTV Award Show 2023 is an in-person event in Belgrade, Serbia, at the MTS Dvorana venue.
However, you can tune in and watch the action unfold via the official HLTVorg Twitch channel. HLTV will announce the best player in their top 20 players of 2023 picks, alongside a host of other awards, such as Woman’s Player of the Year, rookie of the year, team of the year, and much more. You’ll also see some Panel Awards and Community Awards.
It’s a celebration of all things Counter-Strike in this past landmark year, with so many people working tirelessly to bring us the best show possible. Mark your calendars!
Header image via Valve.
The post HLTV Award Show celebrating the best of CS esports this weekend appeared first on Esports Central.
With the Dota Pro Circuit (DPC) for 2024 cancelled and tournament organizers filling the gap before The International 2024, some fans might be wondering what the first big Dota 2 esports event of the year is. Well, we are happy to report you won’t have to wait long, as the BetBoom Dacha Dubai 2024 event kicks off in early February.
BetBoom Dacha Dubai 2024 first detailsThe BetBoom Dacha Dubai 2024 event is an offline LAN tournament taking place in Dubai from 4 to 16 February 2024, with a group stage from 4 to 8 February and the playoffs from 11 to 16 February 2024.
12 teams will compete for their share of the huge $1 million prize pool. At the current Dollar to Rand exchange rate, that’s roughly R18.7 million. There are qualifiers currently underway for the final eight slots. The teams invited are:
- Team Spirit
- Team Liquid
- BetBoom Team
- LGD Gaming
Stay tuned as we will be bringing you a complete viewer’s guide next week so you have every bit of information possible heading into the BetBoom Dacha Dubai 2024 tournament.
For now, mark your calendars to watch some top-tier Dota 2 esports action from the BetBoom Dacha Dubai 2024!
Header image via BetBoom/FISSURE.
The post First big Dota 2 event of 2024 is BetBoom Dacha Dubai appeared first on Esports Central.
Thanks to the owner of Anarchy Gaming and content creator ChubsC, alongside South African tournament organizer Elite Pro Series, there’s a fun Fortnite event this weekend called the ChubsC Duo Cup this weekend! Here’s what you need to know.
ChubsC Duo Cup detailsThere are two qualifiers leading up to the finals of the ChubsC Duo hosted by Elite Pro Series. The first qualifier takes place on Friday, 12 January 2024, and the second qualifier takes place on Saturday, 13 January 2024. This leads up to the finals, which is taking place on 14 January 2024.
There will be 3 games to be played in each qualifier, and the Fortnite team with the most points wins the event. The ChubsC Duo cup is open to PC and console gamers.
Please note: 10 pro teams will also be invited to the finals, where the qualified and invited teams will compete for their share of the prize pool.
The ChubsC Duo Cup (ZA Only) will be hosted on @ElitePro_Series & will have a prize pool of R5000 which will take place over the weekend with the following format
Q1 – 12 January 2024
Q2 – 13 January 2024
Finals – 14 January 202410 Pro Teams are invited to the finals.… pic.twitter.com/wcqmO5sbA2
— ChubsC (@ChubsCza) January 7, 2024
There’s R5,000 to compete for, with the following prize pool distribution expected.
Prize pool distribution:* 1st place – R2,500 * 2nd place – R1,600 * 3rd place – R900
Match Settings* Server: Middle East * Game Mode: Duos * Match Code: https://eliteproseries.co.za/member-account/score/ or in discord: https://discord.gg/yvxg2fy
For more awesome Fortnite esports events and the latest details, give EPS a follow on Twitter for updates on all upcoming tournaments. Join their Discord server and check out their website.
Header image via Epic Games.
The post EPS ChubsC Duo Cup with R5,000 prize pool this weekend appeared first on Esports Central.
South African tournament organizer Mettlestate is kicking 2024 off with a bang, providing local gamers with several Cash Cups to enter this week. Here’s what you need to know so you don’t miss out on the fun and quick esports events coming your way.
Mettlestate Cash Cups this weekThere are a total of six (6) Cash Cups from Mettlestate to compete in this week, featuring a variety of esports titles from Valorant to Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 and even some Mortal Kombat 1 action. Check out the most important details below.
- COD MW3 Cup – 4v4 tournament starting on Wednesday, 10 January 2024, at 19:30.
- Mortal Kombat 1 Cup – 1v1 tournament starting on Wednesday, 10 January 2024, at 19:30.
- Rocket League Sideswipe Cup – 1v1 tournament starting on Thursday, 11 January 2024, at 19:30.
- League of Legends Cup – 5v5 tournament starting on Thursday, 11 January 2024, at 19:30.
- Clash of Clans Cup – 1v1 tournament starting on Saturday, 13 January 2024, at 14:00.
- Valorant Cup – 5v5 tournament starting on Saturday, 13 January 2024, at 14:00.
Please note: The information about the Mettlestate Cash Cups this week was sourced via the Mettlestate event page. Times are in SAST.
With these one-day cash cups, registrations close two hours before the events get underway. All tournaments above are free to enter and feature a base prize pool of R1,000. That increases to R2,000 depending on the top three players’ VIP status.
Prize pool distribution:* 1st place – R500 (R1,000 with VIP) * 2nd place – R300 (R600 with VIP) * 3rd place – R200 (R400 with VIP)
VIP members who make it into the top three cups will also double their payout. Don’t forget to keep updated with the latest happenings for Mettlestate tournaments by following them on Twitter and joining their Discord server.
Header image via Activision.
The post Mettlestate Cash Cups this week | 8 to 14 January 2024 appeared first on Esports Central.
At the Malaysia International Trade and Exhibition Centre in Singapore, we saw 12 of the best Dota 2 esports teams compete for their share of the $1,000,000 in front of a live crowd, with over 18,000 in attendance in the final three days of ESL One Kuala Lumpur. Here’s what went down with our results and a highlights video!
ESL One Kuala Lumpur highlightsIt was a thrilling tournament offering some of the best Dota 2 esports we’ve seen in a while at the biggest LAN event since this year’s The International. Continue reading to find out what happened, or check out our video featuring highlights from the grand final below, or both!
Group A was a bloodbath, with Gaimin Gladiators taking second place while Chinese powerhouse Azure Ray claimed first place. In Group B, G2.iG came out on top, followed by Team Falcons, while powerful teams like LGD.Gaming was eliminated early.
In the double-elimination playoffs, Gaimin Gladiators reverse sweeped G2 Invictus Gaming and continued on to sweep Azure Ray with a convincing 2-0 to make it to the grand finals of ESL One Kuala Lumpur.
On the other side of the bracket, Azure Ray beat Team Falcons in a close 2-1 before dropping down to the lower bracket after a loss to Gaimin Gladiators. However, Azure Ray came back swinging, beating Team Liquid 2-1 with a reverse sweep to claim a spot in the finals.
In the best-of-five grand finals, we saw one of the biggest comebacks in recent Dota 2 history. Gaimin Gladiators went up 2-0 after two quick wins.
The Chinese squad at Azure Ray didn’t let their deficit keep them down. With three consecutive wins in spectacular fashion, Azure Ray completed the comeback and reverse-swept Gaimin Gladiators for a 3-2 victory.
With their win, Azure Ray lifts the ESL One Kuala Lumpur trophy and claims the first-place prize of $300,000. A big congratulations go out to the team for this excellent win, and never giving up!
Header image via ESL.
The post ESL One Kuala Lumpur results & highlights appeared first on Esports Central.
The last big Counter-Strike 2 LAN event, BLAST Premier World Final, took place in front of a massive crowd in the United Arab Emirates (Abu Dhabi) at the Etihad Arena, featuring eight of the best teams in the world. Find out what went down with our results and highlights vid!
BLAST Premier World Final resultsWe saw a thrilling group stage take place, with some surprising results. In Group A, Team Vitality came out on top, while ENCE got eliminated. In Group B, FaZe Clan topped the group, while Danish powerhouse Heroic was swiftly eliminated.
Check out our highlights video below explaining what went down in the playoffs of the BLAST Premier World Final 2023, or continue reading…or both!
With six teams making it to the single-elimination playoffs, one mistake could send them packing. In the quarterfinals, Na’Vi pulled off an incredible reverse sweep against G2 Esports for a 2-1 win, while MOUZ decimated Cloud9 with a very clean 2-0 win.
In the semifinals of the BLAST Premier World Final, Team Vitality knocked Na’Vi to the curb with a clean 2-0, while FaZe Clan beat MOUZ 2-0 after two highly contested maps.
Team Vitality and FaZe Clan faced off in the grand finals of the BLAST Premier World Final. Vitality came out swinging on Inferno for a convincing 13-5 win and finished proceedings on Nuke with another clean 13-7 victory as Mathieu “ZywOo” Herbaut dismantled FaZe in style.
For their efforts, Team Vitality wins the first-place prize of $500,000, while FaZe Clan limps away with $250,000 in prize money. A big congratulations go out to Vitality for not missing a beat during the entire event, as they didn’t lose a single map!
There’s a lot of exciting CS2 esports action to look forward to next year. Check out BLAST Premier’s 2024 CS2 event schedule.
Header image via BLAST Premier.
The post BLAST Premier World Final results & highlights appeared first on Esports Central.
Attention Counter-Strike 2 fans! You can now get your calendar ready for 2024, as BLAST has revealed their schedule for next year! Here’s what you need to know so you don’t miss any of the top-tier esports action.
BLAST Premier 2024 scheduleFirst, a quick change to the Showdown rules. The BLAST Premier Showdown used to be split into two regions, but for the 2024 season, this will no longer be the case. Instead, we will see a single 16-team event take place (per season) that will include 3 invited sides, 7 teams from the qualifiers, and six teams from the bottom of the seasonal Group event.
Now, onto the schedule! Check out the full BLAST Premier schedule below to get hyped for all the CS2 action coming your way.
- Spring Groups: 22 to 28 January 2024
- Spring Showdown: 6 to 10 March 2024
- Spring Final: 12 to 16 June 2024
- Fall Groups: 26 July to 4 August 2024
- Fall Showdown: 21 to 25 August 2024
- Fall Final: 25 to 29 September 2024
- World Final: 13 to 17 November 2024.
As you can see, the World Final will also start earlier next year. One last change is that the Fall Final will take place at the Forum Copenhagen venue in Denmark and not at the Royal Arena.
BLAST Premier events have always delivered top-tier entertainment, casting, hosting, and the best teams in the world competing for massive prize pools. We can’t wait to watch all the action and share our thoughts and results with our readers, so stay tuned!
Header image via BLAST.
The post BLAST 2024 schedule and showdown changes announced appeared first on Esports Central.
South African tournament organizer African Cyber Gaming League (ACGL) and the fantastic ISP Clear Access have another competitive event for you to enjoy this week, featuring the recently released Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3. Here’s what you need to know about the ClearAccess Quark COD MW3 Squad Showdown!
COD MW3 Squad Showdown detailsThis is an online event featuring a 4v4 format, so grab your friends! Registration is completely free of charge, so sign up at the COD MW3 Squad Showdown page on ACGL without delay. The registration deadline is Tuesday, 19 December at 18:55 SAST, with the event starting five minutes after registration ends (19:00).
Despite the free entry, there’s a prize pool of R1,000 to compete for.
Prize Pool distribution:* 1st place – R500 * 2nd place – R300 * 3rd place – R200
Here are some quick rules for you to look over:
- Game Modes: HP, SND, Control, HP, SND
- Activision ID: Players should provide their exact Activision ID. (Example Activision ID: Example#7412898) Your Activision ID can be found here
- Gentleman’s Agreement (GA) rules are not enforced in ACGL tournaments.
- CDL gamemode must be selected
Good luck to everyone who enters! It is sure to be a fun event for local Call of Duty fans to enjoy.
You can keep updated with all their announcements by following ACGL on Twitter and Facebook and joining their Discord server. Head to the Clear Access website to check them out and learn more about their range of products!
Header image via Activision.
The post ClearAccess Quark COD MW3 Squad Showdown this week appeared first on Esports Central.
The last big S-Tier Counter-Strike 2 event gets underway this week, and it is an absolutely massive one no fan should miss out on. We are, of course, talking about the BLAST Premier World Final 2023. Here’s what you need to know!
BLAST Premier World Final DetailsEight of the best Counter-Strike 2 teams in the world (who qualified via various means) are competing for their share of the $1 million prize pool. At the current Dollar to Rand exchange rate, that’s roughly R19.1 million! These top teams are competing live in front of a massive crowd in the United Arab Emirates (Abu Dhabi) at the Etihad Arena, just like last year, when G2 came out on top.
The BLAST Premier World Final runs this week, from 13 to 17 December 2023. It starts with a group stage featuring a double-elimination GSL-style format. All matches are best-of-three in the group stage. Winners of each group advance to the semifinals, while runners-up advance to the quarterfinals as the High Seeds. Teams who place third in their groups advance to the quarterfinals as the Low Seeds and the bottom team in each group is eliminated.
Group A teams:* Team Vitality * Cloud9 * ENCE * Na’Vi
Group B teams:* Mouz * G2 Esports * FaZe Clan * Heroic
Following the group stage, we will see the four remaining teams compete in a single-elimination bracket, where one mistake means elimination. All matches, including the grand final, is best-of-three. It will be interesting to see if G2 Esports has any chance of becoming a two-time BLAST Premier World Final champion or if FaZe Clan or Team Vitality can continue to dominate…
You can catch all the action via the official BLASTPremier Twitch channel. Enjoy!
Header image via BLAST.
The post BLAST Premier World Final 2023 viewer’s guide appeared first on Esports Central.
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