Empire wins spot in Cologne qualifer

Emil "kucheR" Akhundov's Empire has secured the first of two spots at the ESL One Cologne qualifier at the CIS Minor.

With the StarLadder Minor hitting the playoffs, teams are beginning to earn the coveted spots at the ESL One Cologne qualifier. The first team to do so are Team Empire, the CIS outfit that most recently made the headlines for signing former Hellraisers player Emil "kucheR" Akhundov to replace the outgoing Ilya "fix" Golovko.

The playoffs of the event follow a double elimination bracket format, with the winner of both the upper and lower facing off in the end to determine the victor. With the top two placing in the event guaranteed to be headed for the Cologne closed qualifiers, Empire is sure of a spot as they won the upper bracket final 2-1 over Fluffy Gangsters, a mostly Russian lineup that has been together for a little under four months. Tommorow will see which team will be joining Empire in the grand finals as the remaining lower bracket matches will be played out, with a final and consolidation round yet to be played.

Image: CybBet