ESL One Cologne to Return in 2019

ESL One will return to Cologne, Germany in 2019, according to a Tuesday Twitter announcement from ESL Counter-Strike.

The Counter-Strike: Global Offensive competition will once again take place in the LANXESS Arena. It is scheduled for July 5-7 and will feature 16 teams competing for a $300,000 prize pool.

??⛪️ The Cathedral of Counter-Strike calls on the faithful once again. #ESLOne Cologne returns to the LANXESS Arena on July 5-7 2019 with 16 of the best teams in the world fighting for a US$300,000 prize pool.
? https://t.co/aoB4fdiB1O pic.twitter.com/QMJTTnGZZ5

— ESL Counter-Strike (@ESLCS) 27 ноября 2018 г.

Qualifiers for the event will run in Europe, North America and Asia. Open qualifiers will feed four teams into closed qualifiers that will feature four invited teams. Two teams from Europe and one team each from North America and Asia will earn their spot in Cologne through those qualifiers.

July's tournament will mark the sixth year in a row of ESL CS:GO competition in Cologne, and the LANXESS Arena has earned the title of Cathedral of Counter-Strike in commemoration of its long service to the game.

The previous ESL One Cologne ended in July 2018 with a Natus Vincere rout of BIG in a 3-1 grand final.