The four Open Qualifiers have been played and we know our teams for the Closed Qualifier!
In case you missed it, we will give you a short rundown of what happened in the Open Qualifiers and who made it through!
Note that lineups in this article are taken from the qualifiers and thus there might be minor changes in the Closed Qualifier.
Open Qualifier 1
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Team undefined is the winner of the first Open Qualifier and they were expected to do so. Their roster consists of AcilioN, ritchiEE, bibu, rilax and NaToSaphiX, meaning there is an overwhelming amount of talent and experience in that team. They showed a glimpse of that in the qualifier, with teams not taking more than 7 rounds against them. They are expected to be one of (if not the) top contenders for a group stage spot in the Closed Qualifier.
Lineup: AcilioN - ritchiEE - bibu - rilax - NaToSaphiX
Semper Fidelis
Coming in second place is Semper Fidelis, a team with a core of familiar faces for the Benelux scene: alexj, Lenny and v1d, complemented with N0R1 and mewpy. They had no truely one-sided games in the qualifier, but also never really got into trouble, delivering a steady performance all the way to the final.
Lineup: alexj - mewpy - Lenny - N0R1 - v1d
nonamers
Picking up third place is nonamers. Maybe they used that name to lull their opponents into a false sense of security, because they definitely showed up! Experiencing a tough match against CamelxRiders in the second round, they pushed on to reach top four and secured their spot in the Closed Qualifier. All that with their substitute!
Lineup: Fentazi - elita - Teddy - Flare - SterkeSpeler - BL1Ndyyy
team_disability
A team name that doesn’t really describe the team very well, as they showcased a lot of ability in this qualifier! They had a good showing all the way to the semi finals (where they met undefined) finishing two matches with a 16-6 scoreline.
Lineup: SnelleRoB - Swes - Moestii - MaltaSajf - dashje
Open Qualifier 2
JoinTheForce
A familiar name in the Benelux scene, already having participated in the ESL Benelux Championship 6 times in the past. After falling just short in the first qualifier, they went all the way in the second, even winning 2 matches with a 16-3 scoreline. Will JoinTheForce be able to take their tally to 7 ESL Benelux Championship Group Stages?
Lineup: kRYPTON - r1qzor - K1ngSazu - PujakeCS - k1ngsc4r - KADSOR - Ayezs
CamelxRiders
Not a familiar name team wise, but the roster has good experience in the ESL Benelux Championship. While they were beaten by nonamers in round 2 in the first qualifier, they now showed their skills and smashed the competition, with their results in the first 3 rounds being a 16-3, 16-2 and another 16-3. They looked unstoppable, but they weren’t able to take down JoinTheForce in the final.
Lineup: AL13N - Jex - reco - Prix - Brooklyn
TBA Benelux
A team that unfortunately drew undefined in round 2 of the first qualifier, they came back with a mission. After a good start vs KHoorn, they had a tough match against HoeWeetJijDat, going to OT, but prevailing in the end, reaching the Semifinals and winning the 3rd place match. With some unfavorable results against 2 other teams in the Closed Qualifier, they will know that they need to bring their A-game in order to qualify.
Lineup: Armipotent - Luukebaas - Sh1n - arnov - Brytimo
Harkers
Harkers are presumably coming into this ESL Benelux Championship season with just one goal: claiming a share of that prizepool. They couldn’t manage it in the first qualifier, but they overcame the first hurdle and have qualified for the Closed Qualifier as the last team from Qualifier 2. Their road wasn’t very clean, so we will see what they can do in the rest of the tournament.
Lineup: BrianWessel - CryH4rdt - mikejuu - DiSeReCt - ExisteNce - kobus
Open Qualifier 3
mastermix123
The third qualifier is the only qualifier they participated in, so it was not clear what to expect of them. The roster has a lot of experience, with both Beruya and Eneshan. They showed off this experience in the qualifier, with teams never taking 10 rounds and even one perfect 16-0! Will they be as dominant in the closed qualifier? We will see!
Lineup: Arttubob - n0te - eneshan - RONDE - Beruya
OGmasterclass
They already participated in the first qualifier but got beaten by team_disability in the quarter final, meaning they were only one match away from qualifying. They returned in the 3rd qualifier, and reached the final while losing only 13 rounds across 3 matches. They lost in the final but they’ve shown that they can dominate matches.
Lineup: MoustacheCat - Sten - AiP - MisterOG - Pajama - Pred1Fly
gewoonbeterneef
It took them 2 qualifiers to show that they are “just better”, but they made it through! It was not all smooth sailing, as their quarterfinal match versus Luxemburg Mix went to a whopping 46 rounds, ending in 25-21 in favor of gewoonbeterneef. They suffered a catastrophic 16-0 loss in the semifinal against mastermix123, so we will see how they do in the rest of the Championship.
Lineup: BAS1XZ - ChrisBacon - Fabolous - thorzzzzzz - DiLLoN - DEVU-M - kick2406
HoeWeetJijDat
A team with not much of history in the ESL Benelux Championship, they could not get in the groove in the 2nd qualifier, reaching the 2nd round. In the 3rd qualifier they were more fortunate, with a first round bye. What followed was a solid 16-8 victory over Zonked E-Sports and a close 16-13 victory vs hiGhRollers. It might not have been super impressive, but they made it and they are here to challenge.
Lineup: Keiron - jonii - ROytjeee1 - JvB - YKcivil
Open Qualifier 4
defusebern
With unfortunate tech issues in the first qualifier, and a disappointing 2nd round finish in the 2nd qualifier, they returned for the last qualifier with a team with lots of experience in the ESL Benelux Championship. This turned out to be enough for them as they won the last qualifier without too many issues. Can this experienced roster do it again?
Lineup: vKEMPeN - MonureN - g1do - zealous - MaximN - v1N
SNELLE BOYS
A team that did not participate in earlier qualifiers, they had a fairly solid road to the final, where they lost 11-16 to defusebern. One player, tAzLaK, also participated in the very first season of the ESL Benelux Championship! Will it be a return to glory?
Lineup: indaxs - makima - advYama - tAzLaK - J0_JO - scandalous - freDDyLefiSh
Senshi eSports
A team that participated in all qualifiers, with various results. They kept going and it paid off, as they made it in the last qualifier! Expectations will not be very high, but who knows maybe they can surprise!
Lineup: yorick - FerSen - sanju2k - FakeReX - Cher1on - Ties
Gezonken esport
Last but not least we have Gezonken esport! A team that started their campaign in the third qualifier. They had a fairly good performance in the final qualifier and even almost made the final as they lost their semifinal 16-13 to SNELLE BOYS. Their road ahead will be tough as last seed, but they already can be proud of their achievement and perhaps they pull off major upsets.
Lineup: TAPED - bobjEEEhz - Sheepie - Google - Snutbubble - PaRaNoMaL
That is all 16 teams in the Closed Qualifier! Excitement will be guaranteed and good luck to all teams, may the best win!
