ESL has announced the ESL Challenger Melbourne groups with Movistar Riders coming in as last-minute replacements for TheMongolZ
ESL has revealed the groups for ESL Challenger Melbourne, which is set to take place in the Australian coastal city from April 28-30. The organization also confirmed that Movistar Riders would fill TheMongolZ’s vacant spot.
Which Teams Are Going To Feature In The ESL Challenger Melbourne?
We are now EIGHT days away from #ESLChallenger hosted at @DreamHack Melbourne and here’s how the groups are shaping up 👋🇦🇺
🔥Group A@Complexity@grayhoundgaming@EGCSGO@EcstaticCS
🔥Group B@_badnewseagles@Movistar_Riders@rare_atom@VertexESC pic.twitter.com/QjGZ4R4CkR
— ESL Counter-Strike (@ESLCS) April 20, 2023
Fresh off their successful BLAST.tv Paris Major Americas RMR qualifying run, Complexity are the strongest team to take the stage in Melbourne on paper. The American outfit currently occupy the 15th spot in the rankings and will be playing in Group A.
Grayhound will represent the host nation in the tournament and they will share Group A with Complexity, EG Black, and ECSTATIC.
Bad News Eagles are the top dogs in Group B. The Kosovans qualified for the Paris Major 2023 Legends Stage earlier this month, so they will be in no short confidence heading into the tournament.
Movistar Riders have not been in great form this year, but they have a decent record in Australia, which should give them belief. The Spanish side will play Bad News Eagles, Rare Atom, and VERTEX, another Australian team, in Group B.
Why Did TheMongolZ Drop Out Of The ESL Challenger Melbourne?
TheMongolZ did not cite an official reason while announcing their withdrawal from the competition. According to unconfirmed reports, the Mongolian outfit want to focus on the Paris Major finals, which start on May 8. TheMongolz qualified as the second-best team in the Asia-Pacific RMRs behind Grayhound. They beat Rare Atom in the lower bracket final to book their flights to Paris.
ESL Challenger Melbourne Groups
GROUP A
- Grayhound (Australia, Global Ranking 25)
- Complexity (USA, Global Ranking 15)
- EG Black (USA, Global Ranking 44)
- ECSTATIC (Denmark, Global Ranking 54)
GROUP B
- Bad News Eagles (Kosovo, Global Ranking 22)
- Movistar Riders (Spain, Global Ranking 24)
- Rare Atom (China, Global Ranking 32)
- VERTEX (Australia, Global Ranking 79)
