A more concise format is about to be implemented for future editions of the ESL Challenger League.

Announcement of New Format

ESL has revealed a switch to a novel format for the ESL Challenger League (ECL), which serves as their primary regional online competitions that provide placements in ESL Pro League for top finishers.

New Structure

ECL will transition from its league model ending in playoffs to hosting four distinct ‘cups’, where each cup will secure a position for its winners in a regional final at the end of the season. The champions from each regional final across the five areas will qualify for next year’s ESL Pro League Season 23.

Less Commitment Required

This change is predicated on compatibility with VRS, adhering to Valve’s Tournament Operation Requirements, which the existing ECL structure fails to fulfill.

ESL has stated that the new format “will require less commitment from participating teams (so they can be more flexible with competing in other tournaments), and will require fewer matches played to qualify for the ESL Pro League.”

Revised Format

The old structure will be discarded and replaced with four double-elimination ‘cups’ for each region, taking place over the next season, played across two weeks.

At the end of these competitions, each region will hold a four-team regional finals made up of the winners from each cup. The exact format of these finals will differ based on how many cups a team wins.

• Winning two cups leads to an automatic advancement to the grand final of the regional finals.
• Winning three cups results in a downsized two-team tournament for the regional finals, where the triumphant team gains a one-map advantage.
• Winning all four cups cancels the regional finals, propelling the team straight to ESL Pro League Season 23.

Additionally, all matches will utilize a best-of-three format (BO3), eliminating best-of-ones (BO1) altogether.

ESL Pro League Qualification

The champions of the regional finals or the victors of all four regional cups will progress to ESL Pro League Season 23.

Slots Distribution

Qualifications for the cups will be awarded based on a mixture of VRS invites and rankings within the highest ESEA leagues, specifically for seasons 52 and 53.

• First place: Invited to all four cups.
• Second place: Invited to three cups.
• Third place: Invited to two cups.
• Fourth place: Invited only to the first cup.

As for Oceania, it will award invitations exclusively to the first-place team and one to the second-place team.

Given that the cups will be classified as tier-two events within Valve’s framework, the top 12 teams in the Global VRS are not eligible for invites.

Regional Specifics

Each region will have a slightly different number of participating teams, distribution of invites, and prize money. To view the full details for each region, check ESL’s website here.