ESL reveal ECL S50 Cup #3 invites

ESL have revealed the invites for the ESL Challenger League Season 50 Cup #3, seeing 18 teams invited via the Valve Regional Standings (VRS) while three teams qualified via ESEA Advanced Season 52 and 53. This iteration of the ESL Challenger League Cups in North America is set to take place with only 21 out of a maximum 24 teams due to a large number of VRS teams declining invites. With this, the first round of the bracket will feature a number of byes, Dust2.us has confirmed with ESL.

The winner of each of the four ECL Season 50 Cups will advance to the regional finals, where the winner of that tournament will qualify for ESL Pro League Season 23. The second cup is set to conclude on Monday, with four teams currently left standing.

For this iteration of the ECL S50 Cups, notable teams that declined invites include Passion UA, M80, NRG, Arrival Seven, and Ghost. The highest-ranked teams set to compete in Cup #3 are coincidentally the top four of Cup #2, with SkinRave, Wildcard, Marsborne, and Getting Info all set to return to the league.

ECL Cups feature a double-elimination bracket where the winner will secure their place in the regional finals. The winner of this edition of the ECL Cup can participate in future cups to secure themselves an advantage in the regional finals. If a team wins two ECL Cups, they qualify directly for the final of the regional finals. Three wins will result in the cancellation of the semifinals. If a squad wins all four ECL Cups, they bypass the regional finals and qualify directly for ESL Pro League.

The invites for the ESL Challenger League Season 50 Cup #3 are as follows:

ESL Challenger League Season 50 Cup #2 is set to start on October 5th.