ECS Season 5 closed qualifiers reach end

Featuring single-elimination brackets, the closed qualifiers saw 29 teams (16 in Europe and 13 in North America) compete for eight spots in the Challenger Cups, which will determine the last teams making it into the prestigious ECS league.

In Europe, the biggest talking point was the qualification of Asger "⁠AcilioN⁠" Larsen's MANS NOT HOT, who beat Windigo and Sprout without losing a single map along the way. AGO, currently ranked 20th in the world, also managed to finish in the top four, even though they were almost knocked out of the tournament in the first round by Limitless.

AcilioN's MANS NOT HOT will fight for a spot in ECS S5

In North America, the biggest surprise was the elimination of ESL Pro League side Dignitas at the hands of Bravado, who recently moved to the US to compete with the region's best, just like TeamOne, who moved past 2K and LFAO to assure themselves of a spot in the next stage.

The eight qualified teams will be joined by eight invited sides in the Challenger Cups, which will be played in a double-elimination format. In Europe, there are still two invitees to be revealed, who will join the bottom-placed sides of Season 4, GODSENT and HEROIC, and the qualified quartet.

Below you can find the participating teams for the ECS Challenger Cups:

Europe	North America
GODSENT	Ghost
HEROIC	Complexity
TBD	Splyce
TBD	Rise Nation
AGO	Bravado
EPG	TeamOne
MANS NOT HOT	BlackOut
Fragsters	Rogue