Monte emerged victorious at the ESL Challenger (EC) Jönköping, held at the Elmia Congress Center in Jönköping, Sweden, capping off an exhilarating weekend at DreamHack Winter. With viewers worldwide tuning in, Monte’s stellar performance earned them the EC Jönköping Champions title and a significant share of the $100,000 prize pool, walking away with $50,000.
Notably, Monte’s triumph also secured them one of the coveted qualifier spots in the upcoming ESL Pro League (EPL) Season 19. Scheduled to unfold from April 23 to May 12, 2024, in St. Julian’s, Malta, EPL Season 19 promises intense competition among the world’s best Counter-Strike 2 (CS2) teams.
ESL Challenger serves as a platform for emerging CS2 teams to showcase their skills and ascend the ranks within the ESL Pro Tour (EPT) for Counter-Strike. The EC Jönköping event, which marked the first professional CS2 tournament in Sweden, took place following the game’s release in September.
Moving forward, EPL Season 19 will feature 32 elite CS2 teams vying for supremacy, competing for a share of the impressive $750,000 total prize pool. Beyond the monetary rewards, teams will also vie for a coveted spot in the Intel® Extreme Masters Cologne 2024 Group Stage and a step closer to the Intel® Grand Slam V championship.
The confirmed teams for EPL Season 19 so far:
- Astralis (Partner team)
- BIG (Partner team)
- Complexity (Partner team)
- ENCE (Partner team)
- Evil Geniuses (Partner team)
- FaZe Clan (Partner team)
- Fnatic (Partner team)
- FURIA (Partner team)
- G2 Esports (Partner team)
- Heroic (Partner team)
- MOUZ (Partner team)
- Natus Vincere (Partner team)
- Ninjas in Pyjamas (Partner team)
- Team Liquid (Partner team)
- Team Vitality (Partner team)
- Grayhound Gaming (Qualified via ESL ANZ Champs Season 17)
- Monte (Qualified via ESL Challenger Jönköping)
The remaining 15 teams will secure their places through various channels, including ESL Challenger Atlanta (one team), ESL Challenger League Season 46 (six teams), ESL National Championship (one team), ESL World Ranking (four teams), and regional qualifiers (three teams). The stage is set for an electrifying competition, bringing together the best CS2 teams from around the globe.
