IT’S the hottest game in town and it’s coming to foxsports.com.au.

The world’s best Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) teams will compete in Atlanta for a $1.4 million prize pool in the finals of ELEAGUE season 1 over the next fortnight.

eSports, or competitive video gaming, is one of the fastest-growing genres in entertainment, expected to be worth over $1.5 billion overall in 2017 as fans all over the world flock to watch the best players in gaming battle it out.

It’s a lucrative business for players too with over $US71 million given away in 2015 as prize money alone, plus many millions more in salaries.

The beauty of it is you don’t need a TV to watch it and foxsports.com.au is helping fans of one of the biggest games in the business (CS:GO) watch its richest event ever.

The ELEAGUE group stages are over with the six best teams in the world advancing into the playoffs. Now the runners-up, plus a lucky extra few, will face off in the Last Chance Qualifier.

WHAT ARE THEY PLAYING?

Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) is the fourth game in the much-loved Counter-Strike series which began back in 1999. Developed by Valve, the first-person shooter franchise sees teams of terrorists and counter-terrorists battle it out in a series of rounds, attempting to secure objectives or eliminate the opposition. CS:GO was released in 2012 and continues the tradition while expanding further into eSports.

A general view of action between Ninjas in Pyjamas and G2 Esports at the ELeague Arena. Source: Getty Images

WHY IS THIS EVENT IMPORTANT?

- CS:GO’s biggest events are known as ‘majors’, sponsored by game creators Valve, with the latest (ESL One: Cologne 2016) having a $1 million prize pool

- ELEAGUE has a $1.4 million prize pool (biggest ever in CS:GO) and is being streamed online as well as on cable television in the US (TBS)

- ELEAGUE invited the world’s 24 biggest and best teams who fought it out in six groups over May/June. Now in July the top 14 will travel to Atlanta to battle for ultimate supremacy.

HOW CAN I WATCH IT?

Foxsports.com.au will host a live stream of the event, starting with the Last Chance Qualifiers from 4am Thursday (AEST).

HOW DOES IT WORK?

The eight Last Chance Qualifiers will be whittled down to just two teams over a series of games on Thursday, Friday and Saturday (AEST).

Those two teams will join six others in the quarter-finals, where teams will go head-to-head for a spot in the semis.

The final will be held on Sunday July 31 (AEST).

Fans watch a match at the ELeague Arena in Atlanta. Source: Getty Images

WHO SHOULD I BE WATCHING FOR?

Six teams have qualified for the Playoffs bracket already - Team EnVyUs, Fnatic, Astralis, Natus Vincere (or Na’Vi), Ninjas in Pyjamas and Cloud 9. Eight other teams will clash in the Last Chance Qualifier - G2 Esports, FaZe Clan, Virtus.pro, Counter Logic Gaming, FlipSid3 Tactics, mousesports, Gambit Gaming and the Australian hopefuls, Renegades.

Team EnVyUs

ELEAGUE Group F Winners (9-1)

Nationality: French

Players: Vincent ‘Happy’ Cervoni, Nathan ‘NBK-‘ Schmitt, Kenny ‘kennyS’ Schrub, Dan ‘apEX’ Madesclaire, Timothée ‘DEVIL’ Démolon (captain)

ELEAGUE Map Score: 160-109 (+51)

Best Major Result: Winners of DreamHack Open Cluj-Napoca 2015

Key Stat: EnVyUs is the most recent team remaining in ELEAGUE to have won a Valve major but struggled in the most recent major, ESL One: Cologne 2016.

Fnatic

ELEAGUE Group D Winners (9-2)

Nationality: Swedish

Players: Jesper ‘JW’ Wecksell, Robin ‘flusha’ Rönnquist (captain), Freddy ‘KRiMZ’ Johannson, Olof ‘olofmeister’ Kajbjer, Dennis ‘dennis’ Edman

ELEAGUE Map Score: 152-93 (+59)

Best Major Result: Winners of ESL One: Cologne 2015, ESL One: Katowice 2015, DreamHack Winter 2013

Key Stat: Of the nine Valve-sponsored majors in CS:GO history, Fnatic has won three. No other squad has won more than one.

Australian team The Renegades compete against Luminosity. Source: Getty Images

Astralis

ELEAGUE Group C Winners (9-2)

Nationality: Danish

Players: Finn ‘karrigan’ Andersen (captain), Andreas ‘Xyp9x’ Højsleth, Nicolai ‘dev1ce’ Reedtz, Peter ‘dupreeh’ Rasmussen, Markus ‘kjaerbye’ Kjærbye

ELEAGUE Map Score: 169-123 (+46)

Best Major Result: 3rd/4th Place at MLG Major Championship: Columbus

Key Stat: This squad has finished in the top eight in every major in the last two years under two names, Astralis and Team SoloMid, but has only broken into the top four at a major event once.

Natus Vincere

ELEAGUE Group E Winners (8-2)

Nationality: Ukrainian/Russian/Slovakian

Players: Daniil ‘Zeus’ Teslenko, Denis ‘seized’ Kostin, Ladislav ‘GuardiaN’ Kovács, Ioann ‘Edward’ Sukhariev, Egor ‘flamie’ Vasilyev

ELEAGUE Map Score: 145-86 (+59)

Best Major Result: 2nd at MLG Major Championship: Columbus and DreamHack Open Cluj-Napoca 2015

Key Stat: Better known as Na’Vi (which originates from Latin and be translated as “born to win”), this team finished as runner-up in two of the last three majors.

Ninjas in Pyjamas

ELEAGUE Group B Winners (8-3)

Nationality: Swedish

Players: Patrik ‘f0rest’ Lindberg, Christopher ‘GeT_RiGhT’ Alesund (captain), Adam ‘friberg’ Friberg, Richard ‘Xizt’ Landström, Jacob ‘pyth’ Mourujärvi

ELEAGUE Map Score: 152-111 (+41)

Best Major Result: Winners of ESL One: Cologne 2014

Key Stat: This much-loved team made the finals of the first five CS:GO majors before falling off, leading them to change their squad leading into 2016.

Australia’s The Renegades in action. Source: Getty Images

Cloud9

ELEAGUE Group A Runners-Up (5-4)

Nationality: American/Canadian

Players: Jordan ‘n0thing’ Gilbert (captain), Michael ‘shroud’ Grzesiek, Tyler ‘Skadoodle’ Latham, Jake ‘Stewie2k’ Yip, Alec ‘Slemmy’ White.

ELEAGUE Map Score: 149-28 (+21)

Best Major Result: 5th-8th at ESL One: Cologne 2014

Key Stat: This American squad originally finished second in its group but when Group A winners Luminosity were disqualified, they ascended into the top eight.

Renegades

ELEAGUE Group A Third Place (3-5)

Nationality: Australian

Players: Aaron ‘AZR’ Ward, Justin ‘jks’ Savage, Yaman ‘yam’ Ergenekon, Karlo ‘USTILO’ Pivac, (fifth player unknown as of publication).

ELEAGUE Map Score: 86-118 (-32)

Best Major Result: 9th-12th at ESL One: Cologne 2015

Key Stat: This Australian squad lives and plays at the Downtown Grand hotel in Las Vegas. Its captain, Chad ‘SPUNJ’ Burchill, retired last month requiring a replacement to be found at short notice for the Last Chance Qualifier.