ESL announce South America spot for Pro League
ESL have announced the final spot at their Pro League Season 7 Finals will go to a South American team. To determine this spot, they're set to launch the 'LA League', kicking off on March 24th with the first open qualifier.
The two open qualifiers will promote eight teams to the closed qualifier, of which eight teams will already be invited. The 16-team closed qualifier is set to run from March 30th - April 1st, with the top eight teams from there progressing to the main stage.
The main stage will last for over a month, with the Grand Finals taking place on May 5th. The winner will claim the final spot in the ESL Pro League Season 7 Finals, joining the 15 other teams from all over the world.
To avoid potential issues before the Finals, ESL are set to require every team competing in the main portion of the LA League to have valid US visas at the ready, giving the teams until the end of the month to ensure their qualification.
What this means for the likes of NTC and oNe, who are currently competing in Europe and North America, would potentially involve them missing out on a potential ESL Pro League spot unless they returned to Brazil to compete. The Argentinians of Mystical, formely No Tenemos Nada, would be a likely candidate to take part, assuming their visas could be sorted in time.
ESL Brasil CEO Leo De Biase said in a statement:
We are really happy to announce the LA League. It is another victory for esports and, with it, ESL strengthens its commitment to helping the players trying to find their space among the professionals. We are trying to encourage them, from the bottom to the top, step by step, from zero to hero.
The Open Qualifiers are set to be hosted on ESEA, with the March 24th and March 25th events open for sign-ups now.
