“The list of tournaments and explanations of exceptions are published on the official GitHub page”, — write: sport.ua
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The document explains that Valve can allow exceptions in certain cases, as long as they are approved in advance and do not conflict with the spirit of the rules. The main reason for such exceptions is to provide more flexibility to tournament organizers, increase the amount of ranking data and promote quality events.
The list includes tournaments organized by the main operators ESL, BLAST, PGL, as well as a number of smaller organizers. Among the main exceptions:
May directly invite teams that performed well in previous Pro League seasons.
ESL Pro League Season 22
It is allowed to invite additional “wildcard” teams to the closed qualification round.
IEM Dallas
Regional filters for North and South America are allowed, even though these regions are not official in Valve’s ranking system.
Esports World Cup 2025
May invite Hero Esports ACL winner instead of one invited ranked team.
BLAST Rivals
Can host a Wildcard event after two Tier 1 tournaments, instead of three as the rules normally require.
PGL Bucharest/Astana/Belgrade
Regional qualifiers may be held to fill the four slots for positions 13-16.
Hero Esports ACL
It is allowed to announce and hold a Tier 1 event in Asia after the official deadline.
Launders LAN and BrisVegas LAN
It is allowed to reduce the time between the announcement and the holding of Tier 2 events.
These exemptions will allow organizers to improve the logistics of their tournaments and attract more teams from different regions. At the same time, tournaments aim to uphold the spirit of Valve’s rules of fair competition and balanced competition.