ESL reveal ECL S51 Cup #2 Invites with multiple top NA teams skipping event

ESL have revealed the invites for the second ESL Challenger League Season 51 Cup, seeing seventeen teams invited via the Valve Regional Standings (VRS) while SportsBetExpert have been added for winning ESEA Elite S55 Cup #1. Notably, Voca would have also had a spot via ESEA Elite S55 Cup #1, however it appears they withdrew from the event likely due to their busy LAN schedule.

The winner of each of the four ECL Season 51 Cups will advance to the regional finals, where the winner of that tournament will qualify for ESL Pro League Season 24.

Compared to the first cup, Cup #2 is fairly bereft of top teams as the majority of top NA teams have skipped the event due to scheduling conflicts, LAN conflicts, or to protect their VRS points. Amidst a slew of teams to decline invites M80, Marsborne, Voca, Wildcard, and BOSS stand out as teams that are regulars in ECL events.

The multiple declined invites have allowed a number of lower-ranked teams to make it into this event including Pulse, Reign Above, NuTorious, and Wanted Goons. The addition of Pulse is likely to be contentious as the team are banned from the Dust2.us Eagle Masters Series for cheating.

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 team list for the ESL Challenger League Season 51 Cup #2 is as follows:

ESL Challenger League Season 51 Cup #2 is set to start on March 20th.