The first two teams to qualify for ESL One Birmingham 2019 are Keen Gaming and TNC Predator. Only two slots are left open.
ESL One Birmingham 2019 has designated only four spots for teams to qualify for the big event scheduled next month. If you weren't on ESL's short list of invited guests, there was only one chance per region for teams to attend.
In SEA, TNC Predator and Mineski were given the direct invites to the closed qualifiers. It would become a battle between these two regional favorites by the end - though some would say it was hardly a contest. TNC were able to cruise through the entire qualifiers undefeated. After both teams swept through their opponents in the first round, and when they went head to head in the second round of the upper brackets, TNC took the cake in another tidy sweep. Knocked to the lower brackets, Mineski then cleaned house overpowering Tigers 2:0 to rematch against TNC.
Once again, TNC proved to be the more powerful and better team, taking the series and qualifier spot with a 3:0 victory.
In China, two of the DPC top 12 teams were given the honor to compete in the closed qualifiers. Keen Gaming and EHOME were expected to be the two that would hash things out in the end for the slot, but Invictus Gaming showed up ready to play. Keen Gaming swept through RNG in the first round while iG outplayed and outlasted EHOME 2:1 to advance further in the upper brackets. After not being able to upset Keen Gaming, iG dropped to the lower brackets where they crushed RNG who had just destroyed EHOME.
In the rematch between iG and Keen Gaming, iG were able to take one match off Keen, but unable to completely turn things in their favor. Keen claimed the ticket to ESL One Birmingham 2019 after a 3:1 triumph.
TeamLiquid, Evil Geniuses, Team Secret, PSG.LGD, OG, ViCi Gaming, Virtus.pro, and NiP are already on the list as direct invitees. Two more teams will join - one from Europe and one from North America.
ESL One Birmingham 2019
Twelve teams will be on hand in Birmingham to fight for a slice of the prize pool of $300.000 between May 28th - June 2nd, 2019. Eight teams will be directly invited and four teams will qualify from NA, SEA, China, and EU.
ESL One Birmingham 2019 Format:
- Group stage matches will be played from May 28 - May 30
- Two groups of six teams
- Round Robin bo2 format
- The top two teams in each group will be seeded into the Upper Bracket Semi-Finals
- 3rd and 4th will play in the Lower Bracket
- 5th and 6th will be eliminated
- Playoffs will feature eight teams
- The Arena Days, on May 31 - June 2
- Playoffs will be bo3 matchups
- bo5 Grand Final
ESL One Birmingham 2019
Twelve teams will be on hand in Birmingham to fight for a slice of the prize pool of $300.000 between May 28th - June 2nd, 2019. Eight teams will be directly invited and four teams will qualify from NA, SEA, China, and EU.
