ESL One Cologne, lasting from July 5 to July 10, is the next event to be given Major status. The decision hardly comes as a surprise, as ESL One Cologne was also a Major in both 2015 and 2014.
As usual with Majors, the top 8 teams from the previous Major event automatically qualify. That means Luminosity Gaming, Natus Vincere, Astralis, Fnatic, Team Liquid, Counter Logic Gaming, Virtus.Pro and Ninjas in Pyjamas are all attending. The remaining eight teams will be found through a series of qualifier events, details of which will be revealed later.
Tickets are already on sale for the event, with prices ranging between €41 to €301—though if you really want to splash the cash there are special lounges available for purchase at the measly cost of €2,999, or about $3,500. Tickets can be purchased here.
Ulrich Schulze, VP Pro Gaming at ESL:
Last year’s ESL One Cologne was one for the history books. – We delivered by far the world’s biggest and most-watched Counter-Strike event of all time, but more than anything I am proud to say that we delivered a fantastic event in of itself
There are always things we can improve on, and we’re looking to take key learnings from last year to raise the bar even further in 2016 for what will hopefully be a truly legendary experience, both online and off.
