Turner Broadcasting System and sports management agency WME|IMG announced today the 24 teams that will participate in its televised Counter-Strike: Global Offensive league, ELEAGUE. The competition is set to debut on May 24, with the first telecast hitting the airwaves on TBS May 27.
The new teams include some of the world's top competitors, including three-time major winner Fnatic and recent MLG Columbus major winner Luminosity Gaming. Additionally, top European squads such as Natus Vincere (Na`Vi), Virtus.Pro, FaZe Clan, EnVyUs, and G2 Esports have also received invites to the league. Other European teams Flipsid3 Tactics, Gambit, SK Gaming, and Team Dignitas will participate in the league as well.
Only five new teams were announced to represent North America, in addition to those announced last month. MLG Columbus semifinalist Team Liquid will participate, as well as NRG Esports, compLexity Gaming, Team SoloMid, and Echo Fox.
A surprise invite to the event is Chinese team TyLoo, who received an invite after an impressive performance at last weekend's DreamHack Masters Malmö event.
These 17 will join the six already announced squads from March as well as OpTic Gaming, who qualified via the ELEAGUE Road to Vegas event in January. These six teams are European squads Astralis, mousesports, and Ninjas in Pyjamas, American teams Cloud9 and Counter Logic Gaming, and the Australian outfit Renegades.
Collectively, the 24 teams will compete each week for two 10-week seasons in Atlanta, Georgia at a newly constructed studio by Turner Broadcasting. Each season will feature a $1.2 million prize pool.
ELEAGUE is the third new league to debut this year in Counter-Strike, but its announcement last fall caused a major boom in the scene. Matchmaking site CEVO partnered with production company Gfinity to produce the CEVO Gfinity Pro-League Season 9 over the past month. Meanwhile streaming platform Twitch and matchmaking site FACEIT teamed up for the Esports Championship Series in early April.