Here are the 55 teams that will play in the upcoming ESL Challenger League Season 52 Cup 1 tournament.
Note: Europe region now has an open tournament format, with open signups and no VRS invites included. As such, we won’t be listing the Europe region in these announcements going forward.
48 teams (North America - 14 teams, South America - 14 teams, Asia - 14 teams, and Oceania - 6 teams) have been invited based on the Valve Regional Standings (VRS) invitation data as of August 3, 2026. The remaining 7 teams have been invited based on their finishing spots in ESEA League Season 57.
Note: Oceania region will have 3 less teams competing in this tournament as there were no more teams on the VRS list eligible for an invite.
Teams will compete in a double-elimination brackets in their respective region, and the winner of each region will get invited to the ESL Challenger League Season 52 Regional Finals.
Note: A team can participate and win multiple cups within the same season. However, based on the ESL Pro Tour - Counter-Strike Rulebook 2026 that states: “2.28 - …In the event a team holds multiple cup victories, priority will be given to inviting the respective runners-ups. If those teams have already qualified, invitations may be extended to additional teams based on VRS rankings.”
North America
voca
North America
VRS Invite
marsborne
North America
VRS Invite
nutorious
North America
VRS Invite
villainous union
North America
VRS Invite
iowa stormboar
North America
VRS Invite
zomblers
North America
VRS Invite
farmville
North America
VRS Invite
empire
North America
VRS Invite
shimmer
North America
VRS Invite
overtake sector
North America
VRS Invite
detonate
North America
VRS Invite
elusive
North America
VRS Invite
incognito
North America
VRS Invite
surge
North America
VRS Invite
chicken coop esports
ESEA Season 57 Winner/Runner-up
club 333
ESEA Season 57 Winner/Runner-up
South America
fluxo
South America
VRS Invite
imperial
South America
VRS Invite
shinden
South America
VRS Invite
galorys
South America
VRS Invite
bounty hunters betjam
South America
VRS Invite
turma do pagode
South America
VRS Invite
isarus
South America
VRS Invite
vivo keyd stars
South America
VRS Invite
yawara esports
South America
VRS Invite
oddik
South America
VRS Invite
ex-mibr academy
South America
VRS Invite
meia noite
South America
VRS Invite
borracheiros
South America
VRS Invite
pain academy
South America
VRS Invite
alka gaming
ESEA Season 57 Winner/Runner-up
peak agency
ESEA Season 57 Winner/Runner-up
Asia
the huns esports
Asia
VRS Invite
5star esports
Asia
VRS Invite
nexvoid
Asia
VRS Invite
rare atom
Asia
VRS Invite
kaleido gaming
Asia
VRS Invite
alter ego
Asia
VRS Invite
chinggis warriors
Asia
VRS Invite
banzai
Asia
VRS Invite
vitalem aerem
Asia
VRS Invite
haunted house
Asia
VRS Invite
Quantumx
Asia
VRS Invite
just swing
Asia
VRS Invite
legam
Asia
VRS Invite
never say never
Asia
VRS Invite
not a squad esports
ESEA Season 57 Winner/Runner-up
team xdm
ESEA Season 57 Winner/Runner-up
Oceania
thunder downunder
Oceania
VRS Invite
ground zero
Oceania
VRS Invite
rooster
Oceania
VRS Invite
arcade esports
Oceania
VRS Invite
marknlarry
Oceania
VRS Invite
orgless
Oceania
VRS Invite
mindfreak
ESEA Season 57 Winner/Runner-up
time waves
Oceania
VRS Invite
abyssal
ESAE Open S56 OCE
MARKnLARRY
ESEA Open S56 OCE
Each team has received their invite based on their rosters stated in the VRS.
Note: the final roster submission deadline for all teams was August 14, 2026.
For a team to be eligible to accept their invitation they must retain a majority roster. In this case there are some notable points to consider when looking at the invited teams:
- Team Spirit (VRS 1), Team Falcons (VRS 2), MOUZ (VRS 3), 9z Globant (VRS 4), Team Vitality (VRS 5), Natus Vincere (VRS 6), Legacy (VRS 7), FURIA (VRS 8), BetBoom Team (VRS 9), Aurora Gaming (VRS 10), G2 Esports (VRS 11), and PARIVISION (VRS 12) can’t be invited based on the Valve’s Tournament Operating Requirements that states: “3.8.4 The VRS rank of the invited Rosters must be lower than 12 on the Global VRS at the time of the Invite Date.".
- North America:
- Liquid (VRS 32), M80 (VRS 36), Wildcard (VRS 38), NRG (VRS 49), Passion UA (VRS 94), SportsBetExpert (VRS 105), LAG (VRS 157), regain (VRS 159), Marsborne (VRS 160), BOSS (VRS 204), LAG (VRS 227), ex-Aether (VRS 240), Aether (VRS 242), insane players (VRS 243), Wanted Goons (VRS 278), Voca (VRS 285), 900FPSvsECO (VRS 297), Rave (VRS 308), BOSS (VRS 311), Festina Lente (VRS 312), FarmVille (VRS 315), and Incognito (VRS 341) have all declined their invites.
- South America:
- MIBR (VRS 16), paiN (VRS 26), DENDELE (VRS 28), BESTIA (VRS 56), LP (VRS 70), Gaimin Gladiators (VRS 106), RED Canids (VRS 129), UNO MILLE (VRS 135), Fake do Biru (VRS 143), MIBR fe (VRS 176), UNO MILLE (VRS 190), BESTIA Academy (VRS 213), and Keyd Stars (VRS 224) have all declined their invites.
- Asia:
- The MongolZ (VRS 15), TYLOO (VRS 18), Lynn Vision (VRS 29), DEPO (VRS 72), Chinggis Warriors (VRS 151), Change The Game (VRS 211), THE UNIT (VRS 214), FengDa (VRS 216), BORING PLAYERS (VRS 244), Club 333 (VRS 262), and Sensation (VRS 298) have all declined their invites.
- Oceania:
-
- FlyQuest (VRS 41), SemperFi (VRS 127), Ground Zero (VRS 222), Mindfreak (VRS 255), Abyssal (VRS 259), Ding Cuts (VRS 299), FURY (VRS 348), Skele (VRS 364), BBBMBCBS (VRS 380), and Time Waves (VRS 395) have all declined their invites.