Banner Image: Ubisoft / Adela S. @adelasznajder
Amid the summer off-season and during the first transfer window of the campaign, fans are now looking forward to the start of the Esports World Cup, which will be played in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
While it's too early to say who will participate in the first edition of the Esports World Cup, the open qualifiers have officially started in multiple regions, with South Korea being the first one to end. Therefore, we now know the eight teams competing in the region's closed qualifier as only one team from South Korea will qualify for the Esports World Cup.
Here's everything you need to know about South Korea's Esports World Cup Closed Qualifiers!
Dates
South Korea's Esports World Cup Closed Qualifier will be played from June 29 to June 30. Unfortunately, we don't know yet the exact date for each match.
Format
The format used in South Korea's Esports World Cup will be a single-elimination bracket with BO3 matches.
Teams
The following eight teams will compete in South Korea's Esports World Cup Closed Qualifier:
PSG Talon
Following the team's performance in Manchester, the South Korea League 2024 Stage 1 champions are the favorites in the region to qualify for the Esports World Cup.
Although the roster coached by Fabian "Fabian" Hällsten was one match away from qualifying for Manchester's Phase 3, which is South Korea's best international result in the last year, the team competed in the open qualifiers with two new players in Yoo "yass" Sang-hoon and Kim "RuMaTicK" Jang-wook.
FearX
While they couldn't qualify for Manchester's Phase 2, the yellow roster left everyone open-mouthed after they beat G2 Esports in what was the team's only victory in England.
Despite the team's display in Manchester, the South Koreans decided to sign the former ENCE player Baptiste "JaKs" Dedienne. The Frenchman didn't play in the open qualifiers and it's still unknown if he will be able to compete for FearX in the closed qualifier.
DPlus KIA
For the first time since November 2022, DPlus KIA missed out on a Major. The changes were almost immediate after the team lost in South Korea's Last Chance Qualifiers for Manchester, as the organization dropped Im "saeyeora" Seung-hwan and Jang "dmaly" Hyun-jun.
So far, DPlus KIA has only announced one signing as the organization added the former PSG Talon player Kim "JLT" Sang-woo to the squad. While the fifth player hasn't been unveiled yet, the team's coach Kim "EnvyTaylor" Seong-soo completed the lineup in South Korea's Esports World Cup open qualifiers.
It's also worth mentioning that DPlus KIA signed the former Ninjas in Pyjamas coach and Six Invitational 2021 champion Dyjair "Mity" Soares, who's the South Koreans' new coach.
Mir Gaming
Mir Gaming's new roster caught everyone by surprise as the team signed Byron "Blurr" Murray and Jake "Sloth" Brown to compete in South Korea's Esports World Cup open qualifiers. Additionally, the team added the former Astralis coach Waiffer "Waiffer" Sibaja to the team as the roster's new head coach.
While they are still behind the region's three favorites, the experience and knowledge that the British duo brings to the roster could make a difference in the long run.
WEBL
WEBL surprised everyone in the South Korea League 2024 Stage 1 after topping the group stage standings with only one defeat, four regulation victories, and two overtime wins. Unfortunately, the team's BO3 form was disappointing as they lost against FearX and DPlus KIA by 2-0 scores.
Despite the team's 1-2 defeat against Mir Gaming in the open qualifier, the South Koreans qualified for the closed qualifier due to the low number of teams in the tournament.
CarrotMarket
Just like WEBL, CarrotMarket qualified for South Korea's Esports World Cup Closed Qualifier due to the low number of teams in the qualifier.
The only professional player on the team is Yoon "Crown" Seo-jin, who competed in the South Korea League 2024 Stage 1 under BlossoM and played at the BLAST R6 Major Copenhagen for LAVEGA Esports.
PawnsRebellion
PawnsRebellion qualified for South Korea's Esports World Cup Closed Qualifier after defeating grooVjam and losing to PSG Talon by 7-0 and 7-2. Despite the team's final result in the competition, they will be in the next stage of the tournament.
Ex-Beyond Stratos Gaming
The former ex-BSG squad qualified for South Korea's Esports World Cup after losing to DPlus KIA in the team's first game in the open qualifier. Fortunately for the South Korea League 2024 squad, they defeated grooVjam in the Lower Bracket.