The qualifying rounds for the first-ever Esports Nations Cup have reached their conclusion, with 24 national teams earning their place at the massive $1,320,000 LAN competition taking place this November in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Regional qualification events took place worldwide to determine which countries would compete, featuring several prominent professional players representing their home nations in pursuit of qualification slots.
In the West Europe region, Owen "smooya" Butterfield and Oscar "AZUWU" Bell spearheaded the United Kingdom's successful qualification campaign. Germany locked in their spot through a combined effort featuring players from BIG and M80, including Johannes "tabseN" Wodarz, Fritz "slaxz-" Dietrich, and Elias "s1n" Stein.
The East Europe qualifiers saw Laurențiu "lauNX" Țârlea guide Romania to victory, while Justinas "jL" Lekavicius represented Lithuania as they also punched their ticket to the main tournament.
Across other regional qualifiers, Chile qualified with the help of David "dav1deuS" Tapia Maldonado and Matias "HUASOPEEK" Ibañez Hernandez. Turkey secured their position with assistance from former Aurora coach Sezgin "Fabre" Kalaycı, and Australia's qualification came through a lineup featuring current and ex-FlyQuest roster members.
Several legendary Counter-Strike veterans participated in their respective national qualification campaigns. The renowned aim specialist Adil "ScreaM" Benrlitom teamed up with his brother Nabil "Nivera" Benrlitom to secure Morocco's berth. Joshua "steel" Nissan captained Canada to qualification success, while former Major champion Dauren "AdreN" Kystaubayev coached Kazakhstan through their qualifying journey.
All 24 qualified nations will compete at the LAN finals from November 10-15. The tournament format includes four groups competing in best-of-one round-robin matches during the group stage, followed by a best-of-three single-elimination playoff bracket culminating in a best-of-five grand final.
