ESL Challenger League Season 50 – Cup 2 Invitations Announced

Emile Laurent

19.08.2025 - 09:28

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ESL Challenger League Season 50 – Cup 2 Invitations Announced

ESL has unveiled the line‑up for the ESL Challenger League Season 50 – Cup 2, featuring a total of 104 teams across five regions: Europe, North America, South America, Asia, and Oceania.

How Invitations Were Determined

79 teams earned direct invites based on their Valve Regional Standings (VRS) as of August 4, 2025. These include:

Europe: 26 teams

North America: 19 teams

South America: 18 teams

Asia: 10 teams

Oceania: 6 team

The remaining 25 teams secured invites through their performance in ESEA League Seasons 52 and 53.

Notable teams invited include Fnatic, Wildcard, and MIBR, among others. ESL also allows teams until August 25, 2025, to submit rosters for Cup 2.

Tournament Format & Structure

Each region will host its own double-elimination bracket, following the model of Season 50 – Cup 1, currently underway. The regional winners will earn a place in the Season 50 Regional Finals, with a shot at advancing to ESL Pro League Season 23.

Background: New Format Rollout

This Cup‑based structure marks a shift from the previous league‑format system. As announced in late May 2025, ESL moved to a more condensed format: four distinct Cups per season, each granting access to regional finals. Winning multiple Cups offers significant advantages:

Two Cup victories = straight to regional final.

Three Cup victories = dramatic format reduction + map advantage.

All four = direct qualification to ESL Pro League, bypassing regional finals entirely.

This format is designed to reduce team commitments and streamline qualification for ESL Pro League, while aligning with Valve’s competition standards.