We’re incredibly excited to announce the Global Elite Challenge! The Global Elite Challenge is a 5on5 tournament open to all European Counter-Strike: Global Offensive players that will award the winning team their very own Global Elite lounge at ESL One Cologne 2015. Read on to find out how you can take part!

What is the Global Elite Challenge?

From August the 20th to the 23rd, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive players from around the world will travel to Cologne, Germany, in order to compete for the ESL One title and trophy. Following the success of the Aegis Experience at ESL One Frankfurt, this year’s installment of ESL One Cologne will be offering attendees the chance to watch from one of five Global Elite lounges - and the winning Global Elite Challenge team will get to enjoy one of these absolutely free.

There will be four qualifiers in total: three open to everyone and one exclusively for premium ESL users. Each qualifier will have two direct slots for the final, where the best eight teams will compete for the exclusive Global Elite Lounge.

Schedule

The Global Elite Challenge qualifier schedule is as follows:

• July 18th at 16:00 CEST: Qualifier one
• July 22nd/23rd at 19:00 CEST: Qualifier two
• July 25th at 16:00 CEST: Qualifier three
• July 29th/30th at 19:00 CEST: Qualifier four (ESL premium users only)
• August 1st at 16:00 CEST: Global Elite Challenge grand final

The qualifiers on July the 22nd and the 29th will be played over two days, with the first rounds on Wednesday and the later rounds on Thursday. Additionally, the entire tournament will use ESL game integration to provide free 128 tick high-quality game servers.

Please note that only European teams are allowed to participate in the Global Elite Challenge.

Prizes

In addition to the coveted Global Elite Lounge worth €2,999 that will be awarded to the first place winner, there are also prizes for second and third place up for grabs. The full Global Elite Challenge prize lineup is as follows:

First place: Global Elite Lounge (€2,999)

The Global Elite Lounge offers the ultimate ESL One Cologne viewing experience as well as the following great perks:

• A private lounge complete with balcony
• Private catering including free food and drink
• Priority access in all queues (AKA legit line skipping)
• Massages on tap
• Backstage tours
• Free WiFi
• Exclusive Global Elite memorabilia

Second place: Premium tickets (€1,085)

The ESL One Premium ticket offers the full Counter-Strike: Global Offensive experience for the second placed team along with a number of nifty perks.

• Access to the LANXESS Arena on August 22nd and 23rd
• Premium area seating
• Free food and drink
• A goodie bag
• Exclusive signing sessions

Third place: Weekend tickets (€205)

The Weekend ticket will give you and your team access to the venue on both days so you get to enjoy the fantastic atmosphere first hand.

• Access to the LANXESS Arena on August 22nd and 23rd
• Free regular seating

Please note that you need to be at least 16 years old in order to attend the event and that the Global Elite Lounge is non-transferable.

We wish all participating teams the best of luck - it could be you kicking back in the Global Elite Lounge at the LANXESS Arena in August!

For more information about ESL One Cologne, head over to the official website, while you can find everything about the Global Elite Challenge here.