Players (Gambit)
Gambit had issued a statement stating that they would not prevent their players from competing in the ESL Pro League under a neutral name. This was confirmed by Abay “HObbit” Khasenov, and he said that the roster would compete at the tournament in Düsseldorf.
Gambit is ranked fourth on the HLTV top teams and has had an exemplary past year. After placing first at the Funspark ULTI 2021 earlier this year, as well as making the quarter-finals at IEM Katowice 2022, they are unquestionably one of the teams assured a playoff spot.
BIG
Karim “Krimbo” Moussa had been promoted from BIG’s academy team to the main squad permanently just a few weeks ago, marking the first time a player from the German organization’s academy has been promoted.
BIG gave Krimbo a tryout at the PGL Major Antwerp Europe RMR Open Qualifiers, where he helped the team earn a seat at the Europe RMR in the third open qualifier by posting a 1.19 rating in the squad’s first-place run.
In place of Nils “k1to” Gruhne, who he replaced in the RMR qualifiers, Krimbo will remain in the main squad. The 23-year-old had been transferred to BIG Academy, where he will be leading the young roster.
Based on Karim’s recent RMR qualifier performances, along with the rest of the team, they are one of the strongest teams heading into this group, and they will almost certainly advance to the next stage of the ESL Pro League.
GODSENT
GODSENT announced the benching of rifler Joo “felps” Vasconcellos in a video in which the player discusses the situation that led to him taking a step back for the time being but intending to return in the future.
On March 23rd, GODSENT will face Movistar Riders in Dusseldorf, Germany, and will be led by former Immortals and FURIA veteran Henrique “HEN1” Teles, who has been signed as a starter for the team.
They’ve had relatively poor performances as of late, but with the addition of Henrique, things can improve rapidly for the Brazilian roster. They are undisputedly a strong contender in Group C of the ESL Pro League, and they are very likely to advance to the playoff stage.
Liquid
Since Team Liquid’s restructuring a couple of months ago, they haven’t been able to maintain outstanding results. With the return of Nick “nitr0” Cannella, the addition of Josh “oSee” Ohm, and the French Richard “shox” Papillon, many of their fundamentals had changed, which could be the reason for their lackluster appearances.
The North American Counter-Strike scene has been on hiatus for a long time. The community thought that the rearrival of nitr0 would reignite the North American flame, but things aren’t looking too good for the seasoned roster, and they’re not expected to make it out to the next stage of the ESL Pro League, but you can never count them out.
Movistar Riders
The Spanish roster is unlikely to advance beyond the group stages. Their most recent notable finish was first place at the RTP Arena Spring Cup 2022 – BLAST Premier Qualifier, but the teams there were nothing to write home about in comparison to the abundance of top teams competing at this event.
Party Astronauts
Party Astronauts had re-added Wesley “viz” Harris to the lineup to fill the hole left by David “cynic” Polster’s abrupt departure, the team announced around a month ago. The 20-year-old was released from the roster in August 2021 and later joined Triumph.
However, due to viz not having a passport in time to travel to ESL Pro League, North American veteran Peter “ptr” Gurney will compete as a stand-in for the team during the event in Germany.
Due to their subpar performances recently and the quality of teams
