BetBoom, Secret are missing in DreamLeague S19 that allows to qualify for $15-million Riyadh Masters 2023
2023-03-20 13:33:00ESL revealed the teams that were invited to DreamLeague S19, the first-step event to qualify for Riyadh Masters 2023 with its $15 mln prize pool. The list raised some questions about the way rankings work. The two big missing teams are Team Secret and BetBoom.
Team Secret should've been invited to the event as the 5th-placed team in the ESL Pro Tour ranking system. But it didn't happen because Team Secret plays in the second division of DPC WEU 2023 Tour 2, and its dates conflict with DreamLeague S19. Such a rule was revealed during the announcement of the new EPT season. As a result, OG took over their spot.
Teams with scheduled matches in Valve-sanctioned competitions during the tournament dates are ineligible to be invited to DreamLeague or EPT events.
The star-packed BetBoom didn't get enough ESL rating to be invited to DreamLeague. Most likely, it happened because the team is relatively new. Being 6th-7th in world DPC standings and flawlessly winning Spring Tour wasn't enough. In contrast, Nemiga, that didn't survive the first split and dropped to the Lower Division, appears higher on the list.
There is also no way to get to DreamLeague S19 other than via invite, and most likely, the same applies to S20. Both events are part of EPT Season 1, which "doesn't have qualifiers," according to the official page.
The invites for S20 will apparently use only the EPT Ranking. For Team Secret, getting out of Lower Division is a must-have task if they want to have a chance at participating in the league. For BetBoom, it will most likely depend on the results of Tour 2 and the Major in Berlin.
