With Atlanta looking to host the first CS:GO Major of 2017, ELEAGUE are getting their main qualifier event underway early. Lasting from the Thursday (15th) up until the Sunday (18th), it’s a short event designed to choose the final eight teams for the next CS:GO Major.
The competitiveness of this event hasn’t been unnoticed by some, with numerous pundits calling it a “Mini Major” due to the amount of top-level teams involved. With six of the top 10 teams involved, it’s set to be one of the most competitive qualifiers ever.
The way the qualifier will work is a seeded Swiss-style system. The premise being that to qualify you need to win three times. The 16 teams involved are split into four groups of four, with each group representing a different seed. Pools one and two represent the bottom eight teams from the Major, whereas pools three and four are made up of teams who qualified from the Regional Minor competitions.
| Pool One | Pool Two | Pool Three | Pool Four |
| Team Dignitas | CLG | Vega Squadron | Team Spirit |
| Ninjas in Pyjamas | OpTic Gaming | TyLoo | Renegades |
| mousesports | Team EnVyUs | GODSENT | HellRaisers |
| FaZe Clan | G2 Esports | Immortals | Cloud9 |
The qualifier for the $1,000,000 (£798,114) Major kicks off today at 3pm (GMT), with Team Dignitas playing Team Spirit. The action can be caught over at ELEAGUE’s Twitch Channel.
Esports Insider says: ELEAGUE has had a solid second season, and it’ll be fascinating to see whether another team can spring a surprise like OpTic.
