We are giving away sall spots for the QR1 through the open EMS qualification, the first and mainevent will take place in three rounds at Sunday, 28th of March 2010 at 19.00 CET (Round 2: 21 CET). A maximum of 64 teams, on a first-come-first-serve basis can participate, the signups are going to start at 17.00 CET on the same day. The cup will be a regular 2 x 20, map elimination (1-2-2-1) cup, where the final sixteen teams advance to QR1. The mappool is going to be: Anzio, Argentan, Catania_rc2, Coire_rc3, Harrington, Lennon and Salerno.

Out of all singups we will select eight teams based on former results, stability and reputation who will get a direct lift into QR2. All the qualificatants from the open qualifier will however play eachother first in QR1. The eight winners of QR1 will in the end face the eight seeded teams in QR2 where the winners of the matches will qualify for the next ESL Major Series.

The date for the QR1 is Tuesday, 30th March 2010 and the date for the QR2 is Wednesday, 31st March 2010. Those qualification rounds will be played exactly like the EMS would be, with mapwins instead of fullcaps and a normal 1-2-1 mapelimination system.

The final four slots will be given away over the so called Last Chance Qualifier. In this Nightcup held on Wednesday the 7th April (Round 1: 19 cet, Round 2: 20 cet, Round 3: 21 cet) we will give teams who lost their match in either QR1 or QR2 another chance to qualify for the EMS. As the Open Qualification Cup this Last Chance Qualifier be a Nightcup with 2x20 Mapelimination system. The losers from QR2 will start in the upperbracket, the losers from QR1 in the lowerbracket. The top four placed teams will get the last spots in the ESL Major Series as reward. Place 5 and 6 will be backup teams for the case that one of the EMS Teams drops out before the Season starts.

A special note for players who are involved in the CC: national teams are allowed to schedule matches away from the open qualifier date.

Direct invites: zP!, FF and rockit (top 3 from EMS V) along with cyberaddicts (winner Autumn Season 2009)

Every team that does not qualify for the professional ESL.dods section is invited to play in the amateur section in our upcoming Spring Season 2010 - the signups are going open from now on! We finally got everything planned for that too and will announce all news regarding this as soon as possible too.

An exact schedule for the amateur and professional section will be released as soon as the EMS qualification moved on.

Your ESL Day of Defeat: Source Admin Team Tickle, micHiiii, ambi, fAn, GeRock, steinje, RaYnii, angel, Peandreo

*UPDATE* Sunday 19 CET
It turns out that we only see six matches at the open qualifier today. Those winners are going to join the other 10 teams at the QR1. The other 8 signed up teams were seeded into the QR2. Links:
Open Qualifier http://www.esl.eu/eu/dods/6on6/ems6quali/rankings/
Contestants QR1: http://www.esl.eu/eu/dods/6on6/ems6qr1/database/members/*/
Contestants QR2: http://www.esl.eu/eu/dods/6on6/ems6qr2/database/members/*/