StarCraft 2 World Championship Series America Season 1 detailed
Major League Gaming is hosting the North American arm of the StarCraft 2 World Championship Series, and has detailed the first of three planned seasons this year.
America Season 1 will include a qualifying tournament, premier league and challenger league.
The qualifier will be held on April 20 and 21 and pit 256 players against each other in a double elimination bracket tournament. Registration for the qualifying tournament will open on Friday, April 12 at 5:00PM ET via MLG's website. The top eight players will earn a spot in the premier league.
MLG is planning a second qualifier to select 16 players for the challenger league; information on that event is expected soon.
The premier league will have 32 players - 24 invited stars and eight from the qualifier - and involve two group stages and then an eight-player single elimination bracket.
Players will be divided into eight groups of four, and will compete online during the first stage before a live competition at MLG Studio in New York at the regional finals on the weekend of June 1.
The challenger league will feature a single elimination bracket and a group stage, and will select players for the premier league of the second season. 40 players will participate - 16 from the second qualifer mentioned above and 24 eliminated from the first premier league. It will be online only, with no live events.
You can tune in to all the action of America Season 1 via MLG's usual streaming channels. The broadcast schedule is below.
- Monday, April 22 – Thursday, April 25: Qualifying Tournament (four matches each night)
- Monday, April 29 – Thursday, May 2: Premier League, Group Stage 1 (one group each night)
- Monday, May 6 – Thursday, May 9: Premier League, Group Stage 1 (one group each night)
- Monday, May 13 – Thursday, May 16: Challenger League Bracket
- Monday, May 20 – Thursday, May 23: Premier League, Group Stage 2 (Four Players LIVE in the MLG Studio each night)
- Monday, May 27 – Thursday, May 30: Challenger League Bracket
- Weekend of June 1 – Premier League Regional Finals (details TBD)
- Monday, June 10 – Thursday, June 13: Challenger League Group Stage
- Monday, June 17 – Thursday, June 20: Challenger League Group Stage