Calyx Dune Cup Fall Edition Announced as MENA Qualifier for BLAST Fall Showdown

The Dune Cup - Fall Edition 2021 which is being organized by Calyx has been announced for CS:GO teams in the MENA (Middle East, North Africa) region. It will be acting as the regional qualifier for BLAST Premier: Fall Showdown 2021 which is scheduled to take place in October. The Dune Cup - Fall Edition 2021 will be featuring a total of eight CS:GO teams, going up against each other from 26^th to 28^th August. The winner of this tournament will be walking away with $25,000 USD, "to invest into growing and developing their organizations," along with a direct slot in the upcoming BLAST Premier Fall Showdown 2021.

Calyx Dune Cup - Fall Edition 2021: complete details

After the Dune Cup - Spring Edition 2021 which acted as a qualifier for BLAST Premier: Spring Showdown 2021, the Fall Edition of the tournament has also been announced. NASR Esports managed to grab the golden spot last time, which has bagged them a direct invite for this qualifier as well.

Participating Teams

A total of eight CS:GO teams will be participating in the Calyx Dune Cup - Fall Edition 2021- four of these will be direct invites while the remaining four will make their way through the GCC Qualifier (2) and Levant & Africa Qualifier (2).

So far only two teams have been directly invited to the tournament, NASR Esports and Sudor Esports. The remaining teams will be announced in the days leading up to the main event.

Schedule and Registration Details

The main event is scheduled to take place from 26^th to 28^th August, while the two qualifiers will be taking place a few days before this. Registration details about these open qualifiers are as follows,

• GCC and Pakistan Qualifier will be taking place from 22^nd to 25^th August. The top two teams will be making their way through to the main event. Interested teams can still register for the qualifier by 'Clicking Here'.

  At least 3 players in the team must be either a resident or a citizen of the GCC allowed countries - Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates (UAE), Qatar, Oman, Bahrain, Kuwait, and Pakistan.

• Levant and North Africa Qualifier will also be taking place from 22^nd to 25^th August. The top two teams will be making their way through the main event. The registrations are still open and interested teams can register by 'Clicking Here'.

  At least 3 players in the team must be either a resident or a citizen of the allowed countries - Jordan, Iraq, Palestine, Syria, Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, and Tunisia.

Do keep in mind that the registrations will close on 20^th August at 11:59 PM GMT for both the qualifiers.

The winner of the main event will be further qualified for BLAST Premier: Fall Showdown 2021, where they will be competing against tier-1 CS:GO teams from across the world.

Tournament Format

The format being followed for both the qualifiers is short and simple. Teams will be following a single-elimination bracket with all matches being a single game affair, except for the qualification matches which will be a best-of-three.

However, for the main event, things will be a bit different as the eight competing teams will be divided into two groups of four teams each. These teams will go up against each other once, playing a one game series.

The top two teams from each group will advance to the playoffs, featuring a single-elimination bracket with each match being a best-of-three series.

Prize Pool

The winners of the Calyx Dune Cup - Fall Edition 2021 will be receiving a cash prize of $25,000 USD with an aim for the organization to grow and expand.

They will also be receiving a direct invite to BLAST Premier: Fall Showdown 2021 featuring a $162,500 USD prize pool, where they will be representing the entirety of the MENA region with a chance to advance further into the tournament.

How to Watch

The main event will be livestreamed on 26^th, 27^th, and 28^th of August across various Calyx social media channels like Twitch, YouTube, and Facebook.

This initiative by BLAST to expand into more regions while giving smaller teams an opportunity to rise up and compete against some of the best teams in the world is great. Although NASR Esports was not able to do much damage last time around, this is a big chance for this region to taste what the international competitive scene tastes like.