Dmitry “Korb3n” Belov, manager of Team Spirit, said there are cases where a team can be invited directly to a tournament without having to qualify, as long as the team has a significant record.

He spoke these words during a livestream on Twitch.

“Invitations have their logic. They are given based on merit. Obviously, for ESL events, invitations are awarded based on EPT points. As for other tournaments like BLAST, invitations are distributed based on performance. If your team is not yet known, you will receive an invitation to participate in the closed qualifiers. If there are no famous players but the team has a track record—such as at least making it to the closed qualifiers or placing as high as the semi-finals—then your team will also be invited.”

He also noted that for ESL tournaments, a certain score is required to receive an invite. Meanwhile, with other tournaments, receiving invitations may be easier: as long as the team has famous players, it is eligible to be invited.

In Korb3n's opinion, even if a team lacks big-name players, winning other tournaments can give the team significant importance, enough to be invited directly into the main event. without having to play in a closed qualifying round. Achievements will outweigh the lack of famous players.