DreamHack Open Anaheim groups and initial matchups announced

DreamHack has announced the group distribution and opening matchups of the upcoming Open stop in Anaheim, California.

The $100,000 tournament features teams from all over the spectrum, with the highest-ranked side being ENCE at No.11, who will be looking to get back on their feet following an underwhelming showing at ICE Challenge at the beginning of February.

Meanwhile, Endpoint bring out the rear as an organization who controversially retained their spot at the event, having won ESL Premiership Winter with their previous lineup, which only Max "⁠MiGHTYMAX⁠" Heath was a part of out of the current five.

The Finns have been placed in Group B, where they are joined by MIBR and two constellations that were put together at the end of last year in Complexity and Gen.G, for whom the Open stop will also be the first LAN tournament with Hansel "⁠BnTeT⁠" Ferdinand and Sam "⁠s0m⁠" Oh.

On the other side, FURIA are the leading name in Group A, which also features North — freshly back under Mathias "⁠MSL⁠" Lauridsen's leadership as of mid-January —, FORZE, and Endpoint.

The groups are distributed as follows:

The following matchups will be played in the opening round of the group stage:

FURIA vs. Endpoint
North vs. FORZE

MIBR vs. Complexity
ENCE vs. Gen.G

DreamHack Open Anaheim will run from February 21-23 at the Anaheim Convention Center. The tournament will begin with a GSL group stage before moving on to the single-elimination playoffs bracket.

Apart from the $100,000 prize purse, a direct ticket to DreamHack Masters Jönköping and points in the ESL Pro Tour will be on offer.