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ELEAGUE CSGO Premier invited teams, open qualifier revealed

By Brittany Frederick

ATLANTA, GA - MAY 28: Cloud9 celebrates after forcing overtime in the second match against Luminosity at the ELeague Arena at Turner Studios on May 28, 2016 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Daniel Shirey/Getty Images)
ATLANTA, GA - MAY 28: Cloud9 celebrates after forcing overtime in the second match against Luminosity at the ELeague Arena at Turner Studios on May 28, 2016 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Daniel Shirey/Getty Images) /
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ELEAGUE has revealed the 12 Counter-Strike: Global Offensive teams invited to September’s CSGO Premier and details on the open qualifier for the final four.

Turner and IMG’s ELEAGUE returns to Counter-Strike on Sept. 1 with the ELEAGUE CSGO Premier, and the 12 invited teams have been set to create a star-studded field for the upcoming tourney.

The field includes every team that has previously won in ELEAGUE: Astralis (winners of the ELEAGUE Major and Clash for Cash), OpTic Gaming (ELEAGUE season 2) and Virtus.pro (ELEAGUE season 1).

Among the other teams getting invites are IEM Sydney winners SK Gaming, North American fan favorites Cloud9, a newly revamped Ninjas in Pyjamas lineup, and the heavy hitters of FaZe Clan.

Almost every team that you’d want to see in a Counter-Strike: Global Offensive tournament is on this roster except for recent PGL Krakow major winners Gambit.

Below are the four CSGO Premier tournament groups, with the specific seeding to be determined through a random draw at a later date:

ELEAGUE
The invited roster for the ELEAGUE CSGO Premier 2017. Photo Credit: Courtesy of Turner Sports /

You’ll notice that the bottom line in each group is blank. The last remaining spots will be filled through an open qualifier tournament taking place on Aug. 26 and 27 in Atlanta. Two teams will qualify from the Americas and another two will be selected from the European/CIS region.

Teams interested in registering for the Premier qualifier can do so here.

But these are some compelling groupings, particularly Group D that takes place in the final week of September. The invitees in that section have all won titles, although OpTic have been in a very pronounced slump since their season 2 victory. But Astralis and SK Gaming have both shown well in 2017, and especially if a team like Gambit is the open qualifier, Group D could be a hot battle in and of itself, before we even get into the playoffs.

Turner and IMG have not yet announced broadcast talent or ticket details for the CSGO Premier, but fans will be able to watch the Group Stage on ELEAGUE Game Command, Twitch and YouTube in addition to the usual Friday night live broadcasts on TBS.

Based on the grid above, however, the Premier will be a strong return to CSGO for both ELEAGUE and the teams and fans who are currently enjoying a break from competition after a busy summer.

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For the latest news on the ELEAGUE CSGO Premier and complete Counter-Strike: Global Offensive coverage, be sure to follow the Gaming category at FanSided here.