ESL Challenger Atlanta EU closed qualifier set to start

Eight teams from across Europe will duke it out in a double-elimination bracket for a spot in the $100,000 competition.

Movistar Riders are the highest-ranked team playing the qualifier

The European closed qualifier for ESL Challenger Atlanta will kick off later on Thursday, offering a spot at the North American event in December.

The open qualifier came to an end on Wednesday, with FORZE, Pompa, FTW and PERA all securing entry into the closed stage. The Hungarian team, ranked outside the top 100, pulled off a major upset in the final around as they beat Aurora 2-0.

The Russian team has been granted another chance to qualify for Atlanta, however, having been invited to the closed qualifier to replace BIG, who withdrew from the tournament. Space will be looking for revenge against FORZE as they, too, have been called in at the last minute, following Eternal Fire's withdrawal.

Below you can find the first-round matchups for the qualifier, which will feature a double-elimination, best-of-three format:

Date	Matches
ESL Challenger Atlanta 2023 Europe Closed Qualifier
16/11/2023	Movistar Riders 15:30 PERA	Match
16/11/2023	FORZE 15:30 Space	Match
16/11/2023	Aurora 15:30 Pompa	Match
16/11/2023	FTW 15:30 Apeks	Match

ESL Challenger Atlanta will take place from December 15-17 as part of the DreamHack Atlanta festival. Complexity, Monte, GamerLegion, Virtus.pro and BESTIA are the first five teams confirmed for the $100,000 competition, which will have a spot at ESL Pro League Season 19 on offer.