WePlay Academy League Season 5 preview

Starting tomorrow, July 25, junior teams of many top CS:GO teams will again face off in the WePlay Academy League. The teams play against each other in the familiar format for almost a month to try to win the title along with a chunk of the $100,000 prize pool. The question ahead of the tournament is obvious: Will any team manage to unseat the previous and only WePlay Academy League winner MOUZ NXT this time?

Format

The fifth edition of the WePlay Academy League will be played in the usual double Round-Robin group format. In other words, there will be two groups of seven teams. All teams in the group stage will play against each other in best-of-one matches. The top two squads in each group will then qualify directly for the playoffs, while places 2-4 will reach the play-ins, where the two remaining playoff participants will be determined.

The play-ins will be played in a single-elimination format, which means that whoever loses is out. All matches will be best-of-three series and the top two teams will advance to the playoffs. The playoffs will be played in the best-of-three double-elimination bracket. The winner of the tournament will receive $45,000.

Groups and participants

Group A

Based on the lineup, Group A is seemingly the stronger one. The four-time winners MOUZ NXT are joined by Fnatic Rising, Astralis Talent and NAVI Junior, who have been participating in the league since Season One. Moreover, the Turks from Eternal Fire Academy along with the CIS team Spirit Academy and 00 Prospects complete the first group of the WePlay Academy League.

Group B

The favourite of the second group is the German team BIG.Omen Academy, who was left behind in the finale of the previous WePlay Academy League season. Group B also includes the Norwegian youth team Apeks Rebels with the experienced coach Torbjorn “mithR” Nyborg. Furthermore, with Young Gods and FURIA Academy, both Brazilian teams attending the event are in one group. Lastly, Nordic teams Young Ninjas, ENCE Academy and OG Academy complete Group B. This marks the debut at the WePlay Academy League for ENCE Academy.

The favourites of the two groups MOUZ NXT and BIG.Omen Academy are certain, but surprises are always to be expected at such a tournament. The WePlay Academy League is a springboard for ambitious talent, so it will be exciting to see the young CS:GO players try to show what’s in them.

Header: WePlay Academy League