Eight Counter-Strike: Global Offensive teams will battle it out in the Spanish city of Valencia starting on July 1. The prize? A place in Season 17 of the ESL Pro League Conference.
FURIA, MIBR, Movistar Riders, Outsiders, Sprout, 00 Nation, HUMMER, and Rare Atom will battle through a group stage and single-elimination playoffs for the single ESL Pro League Conference spot available through the DreamHack event.
The boys from Brazil
Four of the eight teams competing at DreamHack Valencia either field Brazilian rosters, or are Brazilian organizations themselves. FURIA and MIBR will both be looking for some semblance of stability after both teams have wildly bounced between success and failure during the first half of 2022.
A #ESLChallenger Valencia JÁ ESTÁ ENTRE NÓS! 🔥
Contamos com 4 times brasileiros no campeonato e estaremos juntos com a #Tribo torcendo MUITO!
VAMOS @FURIA @ZeroZeroBRASIL @hummergg_ @mibr, VAMOS BRASIL! 🇧🇷 pic.twitter.com/7gg9VGqhoV
— ESL Brasil 🇧🇷 (@eslbrasil) June 27, 2022
00 Nation, who have allegedly acquired the place of GODSENT after reportedly buying out most of their roster, will be looking to bounce back after overhauling their squad earlier in June. HUMMER is the Brazilian outsider, qualifying through the South American qualifier tournament.
Rare Atom flies the APAC flag
Rare Atom are the sole APAC representative in Valencia but will be looking to make a splash. They have enjoyed a strong 2022 so far, just missing out on qualification for the Antwerp Major before taking home first place in the Season 41 of the APAC ESL Challenger League.
WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS!
Congratulations to RACSGO for winning the ESL Challenger League Season 41 Asia-Pacific Championship and also qualifying for the ESL Pro League Season 17 Conference.
Thank you for the continuous support of our fans, we will continue to work hard! pic.twitter.com/c10MhdNCIG
— Rare Atom (@rare_atom) June 27, 2022
Europe looks to rebound in Valencia
The lineup is rounded out by three European teams — the Movistar Riders, Outsiders, and Sprout. After a top-four finish in Season 16 of the ESL, Outsiders will look to bounce back from a poor performance at the Roobet Cup. Movistar Riders will look to build on strong results so far in 2022, including third place finishes at the Pinnacle Cup IV, Global Esports Tour Dubai, and Season 16 of the ESL Pro League Conference Europe. Movistar will also be the “home team”, given their Spanish origin and roster.
Playing in front of a Spanish crowd must be something else!
🗣️ @Movistar_Riders' @alexitownzz on playing in front of a home crowd ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/66lne5cNkP
— ESL Counter-Strike (@ESLCS) June 28, 2022
As for Sprout, they have struggled since qualifying for Valencia and will be eager to take the tournament as a chance to right the ship.
DreamHack Valencia format
Check out the #ESLChallenger Valencia Bracket below! ⤵️
Who do you have as the favourites of both groups? 🤔 pic.twitter.com/cRyn1p4fW9
— ESL Counter-Strike (@ESLCS) June 27, 2022
The field of eight will be split into two groups — FURIA, Outsiders, 00 Nation, and Sprout in Group A and MIBR, Movistar Riders, HUMMER Esports, and Rare Atom in Group B. Each group operates as a self-contained double-elimination bracket, with the top two teams from each group progressing to the knockouts.
ESL Challenger at DreamHack Valencia culminates with its Grand Final on July 3, following the four-team, single-elimination playoffs. As mentioned previously, the winner will automatically qualify for Season 17 of the ESL Pro League Conference.
DreamHack Valencia gets underway on July 1.
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