The WePlay Esports media group and the world’s leading Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS: GO) organizations have announced the formation of the WePlay Academy League. The new tournament aims to shape the standards for the CS:GO industry to discover new talent.
With the support of top teams, promising players will have the opportunity to approach the professional electronic sports scene and gain competitive experience. The league’s first season begins with an online group stage, where the teams will face off twice.
The three strongest teams advance to the Playoffs that will take place at WePlay Esports Arena Kyiv. The remaining teams enter the Gauntlet Stage to claim the last slot and advance to the final stage.
WePlay Academy League will distribute US$100,000 in prizes
To participate in the tournament, players and teams must meet a number of requirements. Each team will consist of at least four players aged between 16 and 20 years. The total prize pool for this first season will be $100,000.
“The WePlay Academy League is a perfect space for daring CS:GO players who are up for challenges. With regular new events, newcomers will be able to hone their skills and potentially be noticed by top teams. Many future CS:GO world champions will look back and see the WePlay Academy League as their first event,” said Eugene Shepelev, eSports manager at WePlay Esports.
Kasper Hvidt, sporting director of Astralis, also said: “The WePlay Academy League will give us the opportunity not only to compare our talented players with those of other major organizations, but also to share thoughts and ideas with some of the most experienced teams.”
Aleksey Kucherov, COO of Natus Vincere, said: “The championship is an excellent platform for young prodigies to show off, competing against their peers from other clubs. There is also the process of preparing to play against certain opponents and the long-term planning of changes in the roster of players to play certain roles.”
Kucherov added: “In general, there will be everything you need to get used to the early stages of your career as a professional player. This project will drive the development of youth teams from the best clubs in the world. It will also offer an exciting story to tell the public.”
Participating teams:
- NAVI Junior
- Young Ninjas
- mouz NXT
- BIG. OMEN Academy
- Astralis Talent
- VP.Prodigy
- Fnatic Rising
- FURIA Academy
WePlay Academy League schedule
Group Stage – 19 July to 1 August 2021 (Possible tiebreakers will take place on 3 August)
Gauntlet Stage – August 7-8, 2021
Playoffs – August 27th to 29th, 2021
