The 2015 WCS Premier League Season 1 finals kick off this week! The three-day event in Poitiers, France will feature one of the most diverse finals lineups we’ve seen in recent years. With 16 players from all over the world, this truly international competition will crown 2015’s first WCS champion!

Key information

A handy summary of all the essential general information about the event.

• Where? Gamers Assembly in Poitiers, France
• When? April the 3rd to the 5th 2015
• Schedule: See below
• Homepage: http://www.starcraft2.com/WCS
• Stream: http://wcs.battle.net/sc2/en
• Tickets: Premium three day passes available online as "Entrée visiteur - Pass 3 jours"
• 16 of the best international StarCraft II players will take the stage in Poitiers on their quest to hoist the 2015 WCS Season 1 trophy and win their share of the US$145,000 prize pool and the WCS points that come with it.

Participating players

Get to know the diverse contestants of the Season 1 finals here.

• Serral

Race: Zerg | Group: A | Nationality: Finnish

• ForGG

Race: Terran | Group: A | Nationality: South Korean

• TLO

Race: Zerg | Group: A | Nationality: German

• XiGua

Race: Zerg | Group: A | Nationality: Chinese

• Snute

Race: Zerg | Group: B | Nationality: Norwegian

• ShoWTimE

Race: Protoss | Group: B | Nationality: German

• PiG

Race: Zerg | Group: B | Nationality: Australian

• MacSed

Race: Protoss | Group: B | Nationality: Chinese

• Polt

Race: Terran | Group: C | Nationality: South Korean

• MaNa

Race: Protoss | Group: C | Nationality: Polish

• Hydra

Race: Zerg | Group: C | Nationality: South Korean

• FireCake

Race: Zerg | Group: C | Nationality: French

• Welmu

Race: Protoss | Group: D | Nationality: Finnish

• Kane

Race: Zerg | Group: D | Nationality: Canadian

• Has

Race: Terran | Group: D | Nationality: Taiwanese

• Bunny

Race: Zerg | Group: D | Nationality: Danish

Check out the complete brackets right here.

Talent lineup

A tournament of this scale deserves the best broadcasters, and we’ve assembled the perfect casting teams.

The full talent lineup for the event is as follows:

English broadcast team

• Stage Host: Sue “Smix” Lee
• Panel Host: Shaun “Apollo” Clark
• Analyst: Daniel “Fenner” Fenner
• Commentator: Kevin “RotterdaM” van der Kooi
• Commentator: James “Kaelaris” Carrol
• Commentator: Nathan “Nathanias” Fabrikant
• Commentator: Yoan “ToD” Merlo

French broadcast team

• Commentator: Alexandre “Pomf” Noci
• Commentator: Hadrien “Thud” Noci
• Commentator: Emmanuel “MoMaN” Marquez
• Commentator: Yann “Anoss” Lotte
• Commentator: Benoît “Imre” Jugnon
• Observer: Alexandre “FunKa” Verrier

Please note that French will be the main language at the event.

Full schedule

A complete overview of the 2015 WCS Season 1 finals schedule.

Friday, April 3rd - Group stages

• 15:00 to 17:00 CET: Group A matches
• 17:00 to 19:00 CET: Group B matches
• 19:00 to 21:00 CET: Group C matches
• 21:00 to 23:00 CET: Group D matches

Saturday, April 4th - Group stage elimination matches

• 11:00 to 14:00 CET: Group A elimination matches
• 14:00 to 17:00 CET: Group B elimination matches
• 17:00 to 20:00 CET: Group C elimination matches
• 20:00 to 23:00 CET: Group D elimination matches

Sunday, April 5th - Quarterfinals, semifinals and grand final

• 11:30 to 17:30 CET: Quarterfinal matches
• 17:30 to 20:30 CET: Semifinal matches
• 20:45 to 22:45 CET: Grand final match

Prize money and WCS point distribution

The 2015 WCS Season 1 finals will offer a large amount of WCS points to its participants, which are needed to qualify for the global finals at the end of the year as well as a share of the huge US$145,000 prize pool.

For the complete prize distribution, refer to the tables below:

Prize pool distribution

1st place	US$30,000
2nd place	US$15,000
3rd-4th place	US$10,000
5th-8th place	US$8,000
9th-16th place	US$6,000

WCS point distribution

1st place	2000 points
2nd place	1250 points
3rd-4th place	900 points
5th-8th place	600 points
9th-12th place	400 points
13th - 16th  place	300 points

Social media

The quickest way to get the latest updates during the finals.

• ESL StarCraft II Twitter account
• Official ESL Facebook page
• Official ESL Twitter account
• Official WCS hashtag: #WCS

For the Twitter accounts of the players, head back to the participating players section above!

Tune in from this Friday!

Who’s your pick to win it all? Let us know in the comments below! And check out our preview of the round of 16.