CCT set to return to North America
GRID Esports have announced the return of The Champions of Champions Tour (CCT) for 2024/2025, with GRID's tournament series set to return to North America more than a year after their last event in the region. In total, GRID Esports and EDEN Esports are set to run four events in North America as part of the "36 regionally-focused online events" that are currently planned.
The first season of CCT in North America ran from September 2022 to March 2023, with $100k being up for grabs over the course of four tournaments. The majority of the tournaments were dominated by Brazilian teams located in the region with the time, with SoJoga, MIBR, and paiN all winning a series while Nouns bucked the trend by winning Series #3 over paiN.
While the circuit provided much-needed support to the region, and the CS:GO scene at large, it wasn't without criticism. In particular, GRID's decision to cut all but one of the regional LAN finals relegated the series to being a largely online affair. Additionally, the uneven distribution of events was criticized, with NA hosting only four series, while other regions hosted upward of twelve series.
CCT's unwillingness to coordinate with other tournament organizers like ESL on scheduling matches also led to its fair share of problems, with multiple series in CCT being forfeited as a result, while multiple teams were also penalized by having prizepools reduced.
Hopefully, with more than a year of experience under their belt, CCT will return to North America with lessons learned and a product that will be able to support the growing NA scene in CS2.
