Kinguin and TSM defeated their opponents LDLC and Rush respectively to gain promotion to ESL Pro League Season 5.

Two top teams from ESEA's European and North American Premier divisions clashed to secure their spots in ESL Pro League Season 5 which will kick off February 7th. The defeated teams have another chance to qualify for ESL Pro League S5 though. They will play the teams with the second worst records in their region from last season, therefore the team list for the fifth season will be complete after LDLC - PENTA and Rush - Splyce matchups. The matches also finalized the group draws for ESEA Season 23 Global Challenge. Team SoloMid, who had to play with their former squad due to roster lock rules, and LDLC were drawn to the Group A whereas Kinguin and Rush joined Tainted Mints and Muffin Lightning in Group B.

The first match was between the European teams. The first map, Cobblestone, saw complete Kinguin dominance as the Poles won the pistol round and lost just two rounds before closing out the map 16-2. LDLC's pick, Overpass, seemed to be balanced in the first half. After going to the halftime one round ahead as terrorists, LDLC weren't able to defend the bombsites effectively and saw Kinguin steal away the victory 16-9.

The NA clash between TSM and Rush saw TSM winning their map pick, Mirage 16-9, but Rush clawed back by securing an overtime victory on Overpass. TSM's impressive terrorist showing in the first half gave the advantage to Hunter "SicK" Mims' team. After the halftime, Mims and co. managed to put in a decent half as counter-terrorists to gain promotion with a 2-1 scoreline in the series.

With these results, the groups for ESEA Season 23 Global Challenge are:
 

                   Group A                          Group B Team SoloMid Team Kinguin                              Team LDLC Rush Bravado Tainted Mints Rogue Muffin Lightning

Image courtesy of Team Kinguin.