The Champions Cup Finals is a CS:GO LAN event held in Malta featuring eight teams contesting a $300,000 prize pool. While it coincides with EPICENTER 2019, it features some famous names from the world of Counter-Strike, who are looking to end the year on a high.
Schedule, streams and format
The Champions Cup Finals will take place at the InterContinental, St Julian's, Malta, from December 16 to December 22.
Teams are divided in to two groups, with semi-finals, third-place play-off and grand final. All matches are best-of-three except for initial matches, which are best-of-one.
Live streams
Champions Cup Finals live streams are available on the live CS:GO page at Luckbox.
Teams
Which teams will be at the Champions Cup Finals?
Group A
ENCE
FURIA
Movistar Riders
TYLOO
Group B
BIG
G2 Esports
Hard Legion Esports
Team Spirit
Where's the hype?
So you might have looked at HLTV or Liquipedia and thought, "Huh. That's weird, I haven't heard anything about this event, what is it?" And that might be a fair assessment.
You see, the Champions Cup consists of three invited teams (Furia, ENCE, and G2), four teams from the European Champions Cup (Hard Legion, BIG, Movistar Riders, and Team Spirit), and a team from the Chinese Champions Cup (TYLOO).
The reason you might not remember much about it is primarily that it has been overshadowed by EPICENTER 2019, but also because the league play that landed half of the teams their spot has been ongoing since September.
We have a tendency to become immune to league play when it's online and we see it all the time.
Teams like Heroic, AVANGAR, and OpTic Gaming were once in the running, but have since withdrawn or been replaced.
Since all of the semifinalists got a spot in the final LAN, Team Spirit and Movistar Riders forfeited once they reached the semis, leaving BIG to face Hard Legion, a contest that Hard Legion likely surprised the CS:GO public by winning 2-0. TYLOO won the Chinese Champions League and only dropped a single map in the process.
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Champions Cup Finals storylines
G2: If there's a favorite to be had at the Champions Cup Finals in Malta, the French are it. Coming straight off of a grand final appearance at cs_summit5, they'll have a chip on their shoulder to prove themselves after losing to Mousesports with a coach playing, as well as wanting some revenge against TYLOO (should the opportunity arise in the playoffs) for their 2-0 defeat at the CS:GO Asia Championships.
Furia: With the loss of their Brazilian brother Matheus "bruttJ" Queiroz weighing heavily on the hearts of the whole Brazilian scene, I expect them to want to close the year with an inspired performance.
ENCE: A lacklustre 2019 after the addition of Miikka "suNny" Kemppi could be made better with a solid win at the Champions Cup Finals. There's no clear favorite here, so look for ENCE to get themselves into the fray.
BIG: BIG have had a hell of a time getting back to their form as the world's clear top German side. Sprout failed to qualify, so they are the only torchbearer in this event for a traditional powerhouse of CS. Look for Owen "smooya" Butterfield to find his aggressive and disruptive form again, otherwise this roster should bow out early.
Hard Legion: We haven't seen much from the former DreamEaters lineup since the Berlin Major, this is their chance to lock up with some of the world's best and prove they're still a relevant dark horse.
Movistar Riders: Adding Lucas "steel" Lopes is a move that indicates that this team really wants to push things to the next level. Now would be a good time to start.
Team Spirit: Fresh from the ESEA Season 32 Global Challenge, this CIS side will be looking to assert their experience over Hard Legion in the groups, while also looking to upset some favorites along the way in true CIS fashion. Look to experienced CIS veterans like Nikolay "mir" Bityukov and Leonid "chopper" Vishnyakov to lead the way.
TYLOO: Rumors of Hansel "BnTeT" Ferdinand's departure for the new GenG project are swirling, but this could be one last run for the pillar of Asian CS:GO. They looked dangerous at the CSGO Asia Championships, beating MIBR and G2 2-0, while losing 2-1 to eventual champions mousesports. Some serious upset potential exists with this squad.
Openers and Predictions
Furia Esports vs TYLOO
Prediction: TYLOO
Nuke: TYLOO Permaban
Dust II: Furia Permaban
Inferno: 19-16 Furia
Vertigo: 16-11 TYLOO
Mirage: 16-13 Furia
Train: 16-13 TYLOO
Overpass: 16-13 TYLOO
ENCE vs Movistar Riders
Prediction: ENCE
Nuke: 16-10 ENCE
Dust II: Riders Permaban
Inferno: 16-13 ENCE
Vertigo: ENCE Permaban
Mirage: 16-13 ENCE
Train: 16-7 ENCE
Overpass: 16-13 Riders
Team Spirit vs Hard Legion
Prediction: Team Spirit
Nuke: Hard Legion Permaban
Dust II: 16-10 Team Spirit
Inferno: 16-13 Hard Legion
Vertigo: Team Spirit Permaban
Mirage: 16-11 Team Spirit
Train: 16-10 Hard Legion
Overpass: 16-11 Team Spirit
G2 Esports vs BIG Clan
Prediction: G2 Esports
Nuke: 16-13 G2 Esports
Dust II: 16-9 G2 Esports
Inferno: 16-13 G2 Esports
Vertigo: BIG Permaban
Mirage: 16-13 BIG Clan
Train: 16-9 G2 Esports
Overpass: G2 Permaban
