TL;DR
- FACEIT and Pinnacle announce multi-season partnership for ECS Pinnacle Cup tournaments
- 32 CS:GO teams from NA and EU regions compete in Swiss format for ECS qualification spots
- Pinnacle brings 9+ years of esports betting experience across 30+ competitive titles
- New ECS Season 7 format features direct finals qualification for Regular Season winners
- London SSE Arena hosts Season 7 finals beginning June 6 with regional team representation
The esports landscape witnesses a significant collaboration as FACEIT reveals its groundbreaking partnership with Pinnacle to elevate the Esports Championship Series competition.
This strategic alliance encompasses seasons 7 and 8 of the newly rebranded ECS Pinnacle Cup, previously called the ECS Challenger Cup. This tournament serves as the primary pathway for elite Counter-Strike: Global Offensive squads to secure positions in the prestigious ECS main events.
The ECS Pinnacle Cup competition structure involves 32 professional teams equally distributed between North American and European territories. Participants engage in Swiss-system qualification rounds to establish competitive standings, with top-performing organizations gaining priority access to ECS Regular Season participation slots.
Pinnacle represents an established sports wagering platform launched in 1998. The organization initiated esports betting operations in 2010, currently providing comprehensive betting services across numerous competitive gaming titles such as League of Legends, Dota 2, and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive.
Pinnacle’s extensive nine-year involvement in esports has evolved into comprehensive market coverage spanning more than 30 competitive gaming titles. Esports currently ranks as the company’s fourth most actively wagered sport category by total betting volume.
Marco Blume, Pinnacle’s trading director, expressed strong optimism regarding the partnership’s potential impact and future trajectory.
“Every Pinnacle team member actively contributes to advancing esports development, and strategic collaborations like our newly established partnership with FACEIT significantly support this mission,” Blume emphasized. “This represents a strategically sound business decision, but given the substantial number of esports enthusiasts within our organization, it’s an initiative that generates genuine excitement across our entire company.”
FACEIT Chief Business Officer and Co-founder Michele Attisani articulated the organization’s enthusiasm for both the innovative tournament format and the strategic alliance with Pinnacle.
“ECS Season 7 promises to deliver the most engaging and captivating version yet through its redesigned structure, and we’re delighted to collaborate with Pinnacle, an organization that demonstrates shared commitment to and passion for the esports ecosystem’s development and sustainable growth,” Attisani confirmed.
The upcoming ECS competitive season introduces a revolutionary structure where premier CS:GO teams worldwide compete in separate ECS Regular Season tournaments. Victorious squads earn direct qualification to the season’s culminating championship event.
The ECS Season 7 grand finals will take place in London at SSE Arena, commencing June 6. Three tournament champions from each region’s Regular Season competitions receive invitations, supplemented by an additional team from each territory selected according to comprehensive ECS Regular Season performance rankings.
Action Checklist
- Monitor ECS Pinnacle Cup Swiss stage matches beginning April 15
- Analyze team performance metrics across NA and EU regions
- Track Regular Season qualification standings through FACEIT platform
- Review Pinnacle betting markets for emerging team performance insights
- Plan viewing schedule for ECS Season 7 London finals June 6-8
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