Season 3 of WINNERS League is here and with it comes the official lineup for its Invite Divisions.
There are two Invite Division regions, each comprised of 32 teams, bringing ESL Pro League and other prominent teams together with budding amateur teams looking to break out.
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The North America division is headlined by a number of top teams from the last season. Previous winners Swole Patrol, who won Season 2 under the Lazarus Esports banner, returns with a heavily-altered roster. The team is looking both to defend their crown and to reestablish themselves as contenders with a new roster built around Braxton “swag” Pierce.
Swole Patrol isn’t the only team looking for a fresh start, though. North American stars Ryan “freakazoid” Abadir and Joshua “steel” Nissan are back in action after taking breaks following the dissolution of Ghost Gaming. They are both competing in WINNERS League Season 3, with freakazoid representing eUnited and steel joining Ben’s Anime Team.
Of course, those names represent a major opportunity for big upsets for the upstart teams in the North America division. The New England Whalers, Ascent Esports, and 7sins Esports are all looking to carve out a spot in the North American region at their expense.
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The Europe division is comprised of a slew of established teams and regional staples that should be familiar to most CS:GO fans. Poland’s PACT, Belarus’ Nemiga Gaming, Portugal’s OFFSET Esports, and have all returned after Season 2, with French staple Team LDLC joining in as well.
All of these teams are looking to climb to the top in Season 3, but WINNERS League is about giving new teams the chance to shine as well.
Season 2 Main Division winner Vexed Gaming has been promoted to the Invite Division for Season 3 and aims to put the UK back on the Counter-Strike map. Two of Europe’s best women’s teams will spread their wings as Copenhagen Flames FE and DreamHack Showdown Valencia winners Besiktas Esports join the fray. Finally, the former Epsilon lineup, now representing Tenerife Titans, is seeking to keep its momentum going and to establish the side as a serious threat internationally.
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Both Invite Divisions boast a $15,000 (£11,705.62) prize pool. First place will receive $7,000 (£5,462.62) while second takes $3,000 (£2,341.12). $1,500 (£1,170.56) will go to the eliminated semifinalists, while top-eight finishers will receive $500 (£390.19).
The WINNERS League Season 3 Invite Division regular season began on October 21st. More information can be found on the official site. Sign-ups for the Open and Main divisions will close on October 25.
Disclaimer: This is a sponsored piece from WINNERS League
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