As you might know, Faceit runs a CS:GO competition called the Esports Championship Series (ECS), which will soon be hosting its fifth season, and now the company has announced that the qualification format for this season will change a little bit, as the ECS Development League - a league that allowed teams to earn a place in the ECS in the past - is being scrapped in favour of what's called the ECS Challenger Cup.
This new Cup will feature a more condensed schedule than was previously available, which means teams can qualify for the ECS in less time, in a system that Faceit says would allow more teams to take part. Any team can compete in the Challenger Cup, providing they qualify in the upcoming ECS Open Qualifiers starting on January 27.
Basically, both Europe and North America will have their own qualifiers, and these will be whittled down to the top two in each, who will then compete in the fifth season of ECS, the only difference being that EU has regional qualifiers, such as CIS/Russia, North EU, and open qualifiers.
For more on the Challenger Cup, check out the official announcement. Do you like this new Cup that's replacing the Development League?