Today we are excited to announce the first new tournament following our partnership with Gfinity - the Gfinity Counter-Strike: Global Offensive Winter Series 2018, with a Champion to be crowned for Europe and North America.

With over $50,000 in cash and prizes up for grabs, the Gfinity Counter-Strike: Global Offensive Winter Series 2018 is now open for registrations to teams of all skill levels across Europe and North America. The new tournament continues our commitment to grassroots esports, with the prize pot shared across Amateur, Intermediate and the (top) Main skill divisions.

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER NOW FOR THE GFINITY WINTER SERIES

Gfinity CS:GO Winter Series 2018 Features:

$$$ prizes in all skill divisions ($50,000 USD in total)

All matches played on high-quality 128-tickrate CEVO game servers across 15+ geographic locations protected by CEVO's proprietary anti-cheat technology

Unlimited access to our automated scrim system to practice with your team

Advanced personal & team statistics for every match and individual ranking on our Event Leaderboards

Pick/Ban maps just like the Pros with our automated in-client veto system

Public GOTV relays and automatic recording and storage of GOTV demos for every match

In-game coaching enabled for all matches

Automatic weekly matches scheduled and easy to use match scheduling thread with SMS alerts

Real-time updated standings and team rankings

Helpful league officials available for live VoIP support Sunday through Thursday

All games played using CEVO's CS:GO match automation game server plugin

Recent Additions to the Gfinity CS:GO Winter Series 2018:

Cash Prize Pool Increased from $33,000 USD to $50,000 USD

Who doesn’t like more money?!?! We’re increasing this season’s cash prize pool by $17K.



Who doesn’t like more money?!?! We’re increasing this season’s cash prize pool by $17K. Improvements to Map Veto Process

We’re updating our map veto process for both best-of-one (bo1) and best-of-three (bo3) map series to fall in line with the most recent CS:GO Major Championship rules. Of course, we’ll still be using Valve's Active Duty map pool for all matches.



We’re updating our map veto process for both best-of-one (bo1) and best-of-three (bo3) map series to fall in line with the most recent CS:GO Major Championship rules. Of course, we’ll still be using Valve's Active Duty map pool for all matches. New Default Match Days for Amateur and Intermediate Divisions

We've made some changes to the default match days in our Amateur and Intermediate divisions to avoid conflicts with other leagues and tournaments. This season, teams in our Amateur division will play their weekly matches on Tuesday evenings, while the Intermediate division will play their games on Sunday and Wednesday evenings. As always, teams may use the match communication tool for each game to propose alternate match days/times.



We've made some changes to the default match days in our Amateur and Intermediate divisions to avoid conflicts with other leagues and tournaments. This season, teams in our Amateur division will play their weekly matches on Tuesday evenings, while the Intermediate division will play their games on Sunday and Wednesday evenings. As always, teams may use the match communication tool for each game to propose alternate match days/times. Public GOTV Relays

Want to watch a friend’s match? How about taking a shot at casting one of your favorite team's games? Now you can, as Public GOTV Relays will be available for all matches inside the CEVO Desktop Client.



Want to watch a friend’s match? How about taking a shot at casting one of your favorite team's games? Now you can, as Public GOTV Relays will be available for all matches inside the CEVO Desktop Client. SMS Scheduling Alerts

Can't check your email at work or school, but still want to keep up to date on your team's match schedule? You can now opt-in to SMS Scheduling Alerts as long as your team is registered in one of our premium skill divisions!



Can't check your email at work or school, but still want to keep up to date on your team's match schedule? You can now opt-in to SMS Scheduling Alerts as long as your team is registered in one of our premium skill divisions! Match Awards & Detailed Weapon Statistics

Want to know who the Master Baiter on your team is? You can now check player performance at a glance with our new Match Awards for players at the bottom of each match page. Have some time on your hands? Drill down deep with our advanced Detailed Weapon Statistics to see which guns you were the best within any given match.

Format & Schedule:

Participating teams will compete in CEVO’s signature eight-week Swiss style regular season format in an attempt to qualify for the Online Playoffs, and the chance to climb the ladder of ranked skill divisions. Here are the most Important dates for the Gfinity CS:GO Winter Series 2018.

Early Bird Team Registration Opens – Friday, December 8th, 2017

Preseason Begins – Thursday, December 28th, 2017

Preseason Ends – Thursday, January 11th, 2018

Early Bird Team Registration Ends (League Fees increase) – Thursday, January 11th, 2018

Regular Season Begins – Monday, January 15th, 2018

Regular Season Ends & Rosters Lock – Thursday, March 15th, 2018

Playoffs Begin - Sunday, March 18th, 2018

Skill Divisions & Prizes:

Main Division (NA/EU Invitation/Application Only) - $20.00 USD (Early Bird) / $25.00 USD per player - $15,000.00 USD prize pool (per region)

CEVO-M is our invite-only skill division consisting of 48 very highly skilled and experienced teams (per region) looking for serious, near-professional competition. Teams can qualify to play in this division through their performance in the previous season, and sometimes through our off-season MVP tournaments.

CEVO-M teams will play two matches per week on Monday & Thursday evenings in both North America and Europe across one national conference (per region) and compete for our largest cash prizes.

1st - $8,000.00 USD

2nd - $5,000.00 USD

3rd - $2,000.00 USD

4th-6th – 5x FREE Entry into next season’s Main skill division

If you think that your team has what it takes to compete in our Main division; register your team in the Intermediate division and send us an email at placement@cevo.com with a link to your CEVO team roster and recent CS:GO accomplishments.

Move-ups to the Main division will only be considered for fully-paid teams, registered in the Intermediate division at the time of application.

Intermediate Division (NA/EU Open entry skill division) - $12.50 USD (Early Bird) / $15.00 USD per player - $7,500.00 USD prize pool (per region)

CEVO-IM is our intermediary skill division open to all teams in both Europe and North America. It's designed for experienced teams seeking serious competitive play.

CEVO-IM teams will play two matches per week on Sunday & Wednesday evenings in both North America and Europe across one national conference (per region) for cash prizes and the chance to move up to the CEVO-M skill division based on their performance.

1st - $4,000.00 USD + automatic move up to next season’s Main skill division

2nd - $2,500.00 USD + automatic move up to next season’s Main skill division

3rd - $1,000.00 USD + automatic move up to next season’s Main skill division

4th-6th - 5x FREE Entry into next season’s Main skill division

NOTE: All other Intermediate division teams that qualify for the Playoffs will receive an automatic move up to next season’s Main skill division

Amateur Division (NA/EU Open entry skill division) - $7.50 USD (Early Bird) / $10.00 USD per player - $2,500.00 USD prize pool (per region)

CEVO-A is our entry-level skill division open to all teams in both North America and Europe. It's designed for both new and experienced teams seeking casual competitive play.

Teams in this division will play one match per week on Tuesday evenings in both North America and Europe across one national conference (per region), competing for cash prizes and the chance to move up to the CEVO-IM/M skill divisions based on their performance.

1st - $1,500.00 USD + automatic move up to next season’s Main skill division

2nd - $750.00 USD + automatic move up to next season’s Main skill division

3rd - $250.00 USD + automatic move up to next season’s Main skill division

4th-6th - 5x FREE Entry into next season’s Intermediate skill division

NOTE: All other Amateur division teams that qualify for the Playoffs will receive an automatic move up to next season’s Intermediate skill division

Map Pool & Veto Process:

Each of our skill divisions will play their regular season matches as a best-of-one (bo1) map series using Valve's Active Duty map pool of de_inferno, de_nuke, de_train, de_mirage, de_cobblestone, de_cache, and de_overpass. Teams will Pick/Ban maps just like the Pros with our automated in-client veto system prior to each match.

Regular Season (bo1) Map Veto Process:

1) The home team will act as Team A

2) Team A bans one map.

3) Team A bans one map.

4) Team B bans one map.

5) Team B bans one map.

6) Team B bans one map.

7) Team A picks the map out of the two that remain (side choice to Team B).



Online Playoffs (bo3) Map Veto Process:

1) The home team will act as Team A

2) Team A bans one map.

3) Team B bans one map.

4) Team A picks map #1 (side choice to Team B)

5) Team B picks map #2 (side choice to Team A)

6) Team B bans one map.

7) Team A picks map #3 out of the two that remain (side choice to Team B).

For information about Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, please visit http://blog.counter-strike.net.

Follow Gfinity on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube for more info and announcements ahead of the 2018 #CSGOWinterSeries.

-End-

About Gfinity:

Founded in 2012, Gfinity has quickly established itself as one of the world's leading esports companies. The London-based business enjoys strong relationships with game publishers, players and the wider esports community and has already built a solid reputation for delivering high quality competitions, both on-line at www.gfinityesports.com and off-line, in addition to producing industry leading esports broadcasts.

The Gfinity Esports Arena at Fulham Broadway, London is the home of UK esports showcasing regular tournaments across the full range of competitive games. Beyond its own tournaments Gfinity provides a full turnkey solution for any brand wanting to create their own esports tournaments and has staged premium esports events around the globe for leading publishers and brands including Microsoft, Activision, EA, Xbox, Gillette and HP.

About CEVO:

CEVO is a global esports services and technology company. Founded in December of 2004 with the intention to transform competitive online gaming into a professional sport. Over the last ten years, CEVO has managed more than 400 live and online tournaments around the globe for ourselves and on behalf of clients across a variety of AAA esports titles. Additionally, CEVO offers event management, marketing, broadcasting, production, development, and design solutions for clients looking to get involved in the business of esports. For more information visit corp.cevo.com.