ESEA Cash Cups to offer $60k prizepool and IEM Cologne bootcamp

Introduced in 2020, ESEA cash cups became a lifeline for the floundering NA domestic scene. Now ESEA have created an initiative to directly help support the domestic ecosystem. Cash Cups will no longer be stand-alone, instead, they will form part of a new circuit the TO is implementing with a number of enticing rewards

In their announcement post, ESEA go into the details about circuit, which will culminate in a $60,000 play-off bracket, a direct invite to the IEM Fall Closed Qualifier, and a bootcamp during IEM Cologne. The change is a effort to try and improve the significance of the Cash Cups and give NA teams more support.

ESEA also announced that whilst there will be an official broadcast of these cups, they have also partnered with Mythic player and streamer Erik "fl0m" Flom who will broadcast each Cash Cup. Having an official broadcast will help bring more eyes onto the teams and players participating, where previously the Cash Cups have not been broadcast from an official ESL account.

The circuit will consist of eight individual cups, each sporting a $5k prizepool and offering points for teams to acquire towards the circuits leaderboard. At the end of the circuit the top teams will face-off in a playoff bracket for the lions share of the $60,000 and the other prizes on offer. This move comes as a positive spark after a rough time for the scene, where apart from ECL and open qualifiers there is a lack of quality domestic competition.

The first Cash Cup on the circuit will kick off March 11th, which teams can register for here.