Leading Nordic Counter Strike teams set to go head-to-head at Elisa Invitational

The Elisa Invitational will take place in October where eight leading teams from the Nordic area will compete to be crowned champions and secure a place in the highly prestigious BLAST Premier Fall Showdown (November 23rd-29th), which sees the world’s best CS:GO teams compete on a global stage.

Elisa and BLAST teamed up earlier in the year to organise a BLAST Premier Showdown Qualifier for the first time in Finnish esports history. Eventual winners of the Elisa Invitational, ENCE, beat Dignitas in the final with both teams securing their names in June’s BLAST Premier Spring Showdown.

The international BLAST Premier tournament series is one of the most anticipated Counter Strike tournaments in the calendar year. In 2020 alone, BLAST events have been broadcast around the world in 105 territories to over 151m households. Following on from May’s successful Elisa tournament, the Elisa Invitational, a BLAST Premier Qualifier will return next month (October 26-28).

The tournament will feature eight top Nordic teams, including Finnish super sensation ENCE. In addition, one of these teams will be the newly crowned Finnish champion – the eventual winner of the Elisa CS:GO Finnish Championship 2020 (September 24-27). Other teams competing include MAD Lions, Apeks, GODSENT and HEROIC. The remaining teams will be announced closer to the event.

One of those remaining teams to be confirmed will be the eventual winners of next month’s Dust2.dk League Cup – which gives Danish grassroots teams the chance to compete in the Elisa Invitational and a shot at securing their place in the BLAST Premier Fall Showdown.

The popularity of esports has grown rapidly in Finland over the last few months with viewing numbers rising sharply. The number of live viewers on Elisa Viihde Sport’s official Twitch channel, one of Finland’s leading esports channels, increased by 41 per cent to 2.3 million. In addition, in April-June, almost 39 million minutes were spent watching games on the channel, which is 53 percent more than in January-March.

Mika Lepisto, Head of Viihde Sport and PayTV at Elisa, said: “We want to develop esports in Finland and provide our players with opportunities to reach international arenas. Organising the Elisa Invitational, BLAST Premier Qualifier is part of this work. The tournament is played by exceptionally high-level Finnish teams and we are expecting surprising and interesting encounters. The tournament can be watched free of charge, so we offer all Finns a great opportunity to enjoy the highest level of international esports.”

Robbie Douek, CEO at BLAST, said: “The Elisa Invitational proved to be a big hit back in May and helped shine a spotlight on the thriving Finnish and Nordic Counter Strike scene. We’re delighted to team up with Elisa Esports again where we look forward to watching some of the best talent in the region fight it out for a place in our BLAST Premier Fall Showdown.”

Elisa Invitational, a BLAST Premier Qualifier will be an online tournament that can be watched on Elisa Viihde Sport, Elisa Viihde Sport’s or BLAST Premier’s Twitch channel free of charge.

Tournament info:
Tournament schedule
Double-elimination Group Stage Monday 26th October and Tuesday 27th
October
Single-Elimination Playoff-bracket including Semifinals (BO3) and Grand
Final (BO3) Wednesday, 28th October
Detailed schedule: https://elisaviihde.fi/sport/lajit/e-urheilu
The tournament can be watched on Elisa Viihde Sport or Elisa Viihde Sport’s Twitch channel free of charge.

More information about the tournament, as well as recent esports news: https://elisaesports.fi/