As we are heading into the group stage of the RaidCall ESL Major Series One, you can expect the remaining teams to perform at their very best. They all have the clear goal in mind to be one of the eight teams at the live event finals, where a prize fund of $35,000 is waiting. Only two teams per group can make it through!

For the group drawing, four pools were created based on our cup ranking. As you can see, EYES ON U and team solemn are tied for the 16th place, both with the same amount of points gathered in the same cups. Therefore, a decider match between these two teams will take place Monday at 20:00 CEST. And here are the groups:

Group A October 1st, 2013		Group B October 2nd, 2013
VeryGames		Ninjas in Pyjamas
ENCE eSports		Team Refuse
ESC ICY BOX		Fnatic
highgrade		Team LDLC.com

Group C October 8th, 2013		Group D October 9th, 2013
Copenhagen Wolves		Natus Vincere
Astana Dragons		Western Wolves
PartyDaddlers		n!faculty
EYES ON U / team solemn		Team ALTERNATE

The group stage is using the double-elimination format, so a lot of action is guaranteed as every single match is crucial to succeed. In order to advance to the live event finals, teams need to win two matches – lose twice and you are out. Meanwhile, the third-place finisher will also become a Core Team, securing its spot in the subsequent Winter 2013 season.

In the last season, it was one single round that decided the outcome in each of the four groups, and sometimes it was as close as a defuse that came one tenth of a second too late. This time around, things will be just as crazy, so you certainly don't want to miss anything! All groups start at 19:00 CEST and will, of course, be broadcasted by ESL TV as well as our broadcasting partners in Russian, German, French and Polish. Be sure to tune in!