Counter-Strike 2‘s illustrious circuit returns down under for the second time with the next iteration of ESL Challenger Melbourne. Once again held at DreamHack, eight teams will converge on Melbourne Park for a shot at $50,000 USD and a spot at ESL Pro League. Who will make it all the way?
- Rooster & KZG face off in local derby elimination
- Favourites move forward—all European teams start 1-0
- Elimination matches start soon; best-of-threes begin!
The Rod Laver Arena will feature three Australian teams playing for the $100,000 prize pool, among five other international teams.
The Aussie teams will certainly be up against good competition. MIBR, Apeks, and Aurora are all great chances to take the trophy home in Melbourne and all with a point to prove after recently struggling with form, while Ben “ben1337” Smith’s Party Astronauts will be looking to avenge his last-place exit in 2022’s iteration of the event. Polish team Rebels have been building form throughout the summer, and also look like a possible upset to the established names.
As for the Aussie teams, Rooster was invited through the local hero invite, while pug-mix sunday school and underdogs KZG played in the grand final of the event’s qualifier, with sunday school getting revenge from earlier in the upper bracket. As luck would have it for KZG, Chinese team Newhappy missed out due to last-minute visa issues, so the qualifier runner-ups took their spot at the event.
Here’s everything you need to know about ESL Challenger Melbourne 2024: Results, schedule, streams, squads, and more.
ESL Challenger Melbourne 2024 streams
ESL Challenger Melbourne 2024 will be broadcast live on Twitch and YouTube. Missed the matchday? Head to each channel for spoiler-free VODs, available after each day wraps up.
ESL Challenger Melbourne 2024 schedule & results
The eight teams attending ESL Challenger Melbourne 2024 have been split into two groups, with each playing out a full double-elimination bracket. The top two teams from each group progress to the playoffs, where a single-elimination bracket will determine our 2024 champs.
Friday, April 26
| Match | Teams | Time (AEST) |
| Group A Opener | Apeks 13-2 sunday school | 10am |
| Aurora 13-3 Party Astronauts | 11:25am | |
| Group B Opener | MIBR 13-4 KZG | 12:50am |
| Rebels 13-7 Rooster | 2:15pm | |
| Group A Winners Match | Apeks 13-11 Aurora | 3:40pm |
| Group B Winners Match | Rebels vs. MIBR | 5:05pm |
| Group B Elimination Match | KZG vs. Rooster | 6:30pm |
Saturday, April 27
| Match | Teams | Time (AEST) |
| Group A Elimination Match | Sunday School vs. Party Astronauts | 1pm |
| Group B Decider Match | TBD vs. TBD | 4:15pm |
| Group A Decider Match | TBD vs. TBD | 7:30pm |
Sunday, April 28
| Match | Teams | Time (AEST) |
| Semi-final #1 | TBD vs. TBD | 1pm |
| Semi-Final #2 | TBD vs. TBD | 4:15pm |
| Grand Final | TBD vs. TBD | 7:30pm |
ESL Challenger Melbourne 2024 squads
Aurora’s Denis “deko” Zhukov and MIBR’s Felipe “insani” Yuji are the two biggest prodigies hitting Australian shores: both are touted as stars in the making and will be exciting to watch.
Joakim “jkaem” Myrbostad—an honourary Aussie in the eyes of many—will be back on the Australian stage for the first time since he left the infamous Renegades roster that took him to a major semi-final in Berlin and is coming in with good form, leading into the event with a 1.15 rating over the last three months.
Aussies will also enjoy Rooster finally playing in front of a home crowd, with Corey “nettik” Browne in hot form in domestic competition. For those looking for a fresh face, KZG is the most exciting team to be playing at the event, and the core of Jayden “Hassie” Hasse, Sam “Samuukxs” Hensel, and Bailey “Estate” Tobin finally get their big chance to prove that Australia has more strong teams than just the big three.
| Team | Squad | ||||
| Apeks | sense | jkaem | nawwk | STYKO | CacaNito |
| MIBR | insani | exit | saffee | brnz4n | drop |
| Rebels Gaming | innocent | casey | olimp | Flayy | kisserek |
| Rooster | TjP | chelleos | dangeR | asap | nettik |
| Aurora Gaming | Lack1 | KENSI | deko | Norwi | r3salt |
| Party Astronauts | ben1337 | RUSH | chop | WolfY | cxzi |
| sunday school | Liki | rekonz | mizzy | guag | versa |
| KZG | Samuukxs | Estate | Hassie | Mingovi | KRAXYT |
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- Source: https://snowballesports.com/2024/04/26/esl-challenger-melbourne-2024-hub/
