The transition from CS:GO to Counter-Strike 2 is almost complete, with every tournament soon to be played on CS2. The upcoming ESL Challenger Atlanta tournament at DreamHack Atlanta will be the first major LAN event in North America with significant implications.
The winner of ESL Challenger Atlanta, an eight-team tournament taking place from Dec. 15 to 17, will secure a direct qualification for ESL Pro League season 19, starting in April 2024. This marks the first time since 2019 that an offline tournament in North America determines ESL Pro League qualification, before the pandemic and the rise of VALORANT.
In the past, smaller regional leagues fed into a global LAN final for ESL Pro League. However, season 13 introduced a single global league primarily consisting of “permanent partner teams.” The last offline tournament in North America that determined ESL Pro League qualification was the NA Pro League in 2019, held at the Intel Esports Arena in Burbank, California. The winners earned a spot in the season 10 finals in Odense, Denmark.
Reflecting on the state of NA Counter-Strike in 2019, it’s remarkable to see how much has changed since then. The combination of COVID and the emergence of VALORANT had a significant impact on the scene. Many players who later became stars or champions in VALORANT were competing in the NA Pro League in 2019. Cloud9 had TenZ and mixwell, Swole Patrol featured Zellsis and yay, and Evil Geniuses had tarik and Ethan, with Ethan eventually returning to EG in 2023 to win a VALORANT world championship.
The demise of the NA Pro League was seen by many former NA CS players as a major blow to the region’s scene, leading them to explore opportunities in VALORANT. However, with the return of LAN qualifiers in North America, the launch of CS2, and the eventual dismantling of franchised leagues, there is hope for a resurgence in the once-competitive region. Only time will tell.
Source: DOTESPORTS
