Tournament format
The tournament is separated into two stages - The group stage and The Playoffs. The group stage is played as a double-elimination bracket, while all the matches are played as a Bo3 series. Each of the groups contains 8 teams, while seeds are determined by world rankings.
Four of the best-ranked teams from each group go to The Playoffs. The winners from the Group stage are placed into the Upper Bracket while the runner-ups are placed into the Lower Bracket.
Teams who can get to The Playoffs face each other in a Double-Elimination bracket, while all the matches are Bo3 series, including the final.
Sometimes the organizer will test out new concepts and formats. Therefore always check the tournament page if you would like to study a specific tournament.Whats special about StarSeries & i-League
StarSeries & i-League has been a proud and trustworthy distributor of some of the best esports content and competitive experience for the whole Counter-Strike universe. It is a highly respected series of events where players get a chance to improve their careers and test their skills and talents against elite rivals.
StarSeries & i-League's first event
The very first event of this type was StarLadder i-League Invitational, back in 2016. From 19th – 22nd of October, 8 teams had the chance to fight for the championship in Kiev, Ukraine, at Olimpiyskiy Football Stadium, while the prize pool was $100,000.
The event served as a good starting ground for all the other ones in the future, thanks to the great level of competition it had, and an amazing attendance as well. The initial success allowed the tournament to take off, and it grew every year since then.