BIG withdraw from ESL Meisterschaft

The German team had been scheduled to face EURONICS in the semi-finals of the league after finishing in second place in the regular season, with the winner advancing to the season finals, at Gamescom.

BIG will focus on the qualifiers for ELEAGUE Premier

The event will take place on August 26, the same date as the European online qualifiers for ELEAGUE Premier 2017, forcing BIG to give up on the chance of defending their ESL Meisterschaft Spring title as they hope to secure a spot at the prestigious North American competition.

"The upcoming qualifier for ELEAGUE is very important for us, and the smallest delay at Gamescom could give us a default loss," BIG CGO Christian Lenz said in a statement. "Besides, we would have to play in a strange setup in an unfamiliar environment. 

"Of course there is no guarantee that we will win the qualifier, but we need to keep our chances high and we need the best possible conditions in order to represent you in the United States.

"We would like to ask for your understanding. It was anything but easy for us, and even ESL is not to blame for this as the date for the German championship final had been set for months."

BIG, who made waves by securing Legend status at their first-ever Major, will be replaced by fifth-placed side PANTHERS in the ESL Meisterschaft Summer semi-finals, scheduled for August 5.

Up to 512 teams will be taking part in the European qualifiers for ELEAGUE Premier 2017, the third season of the CS:GO competition hosted by Turner Sports. The top two teams of the qualifier will advance to the main competition, which will kick off on September 8 with Group A, featuring FaZe, Natus Vincere, G2 and one qualified team.