Astralis, the Danish powerhouse of CS:GO has shown interest in playing the ESL Pro League instead of the new league that will be created by B Site Inc. and organized by FACEIT.
In a brief statement released today, signed by Anders Hørsholt, Astralis’ group CEO, the Danish organization confirmed that a number of top CS:GO teams including Astralis have recently met with ESL in Paris to discuss the new format of ESL Pro League and secure a long-term agreement.
“Negotiations regarding the final term sheet are still ongoing and are expected to be signed in the near future,” Hørsholt said.
ESL changed the format of the Pro League last week. In that series of changes, the number of participants was cut in half. Astralis are one of the 24 teams invited to attend the ESL Pro League season 11, which would kick off in March.
None of these teams have officially said that they will participate in ESL Pro League. But on the day of the announcement, Complexity and Ninjas in Pyjamas hinted that they are committed to playing in the next Pro League season.
Astralis is undoubtedly a huge asset for ESL Pro League. The squad led by Lukas “gla1ve” Rossander has been the best CS:GO team in the world for two years, and all other teams want to defeat them.
While many of these invited teams will likely sign long-term agreements with ESL, B Site Inc. is still looking to firm deals with four organizations. According to a report by ESPN, the league has six partners at the moment: Cloud9, MIBR, Dignitas, Gen.G, MAD Lions, and c0ntact Gaming. B Site Inc.’s league will have 12 teams, with two slots being filled by qualifiers.
