Gwangju Esports Series Asia 2024 begins this weekend, featuring a showdown between two top teams from both China and Korea in a unique format for the OFF//SEASON.
SOUTH KOREA – The Gwangju Esports Series returns this year and is set to begin on November 2-3 with four invited teams: Gen.G, T1, EDward Gaming, and Trace Esports.
The event, with a prize pool of KR₩40,000,000 (~US$29,000), will pit Korean and Chinese teams against each other in a best-of-three format. The unique twist in this tournament comes into play if the overall score reaches a 2-2 tie: an additional match will be held, where players from both Korean and Chinese teams combine to form mixed regional teams.
Masters Shanghai champions Gen.G, fresh off their victory at the TEN VALORANT Asia Invitational, will kick off the event by taking on Trace Esports. This will be followed by a matchup between the revamped T1 roster and the 2024 World Champions, EDward Gaming.
On the second day, T1 will go head-to-head with Trace Esports, leading up to a thrilling finale where two of the year’s international champions, Gen.G and EDward Gaming, will face off to close out the two-day event.
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EDward Gaming have confirmed that Zheng “ZmjjKK” Yongkang and Zhang “Smoggy” Zhao will not be present this time around, with Tong “potter” Junan and Zhang “Toast” Tingkai stepping in as their replacements.
It’s still unclear whether Trace Esports will be bringing their full roster to Gwangju. On the other hand, Gen.G look to build momentum ahead of the 2025 VCT season, integrating their two new additions, Jung “Foxy9” Jae-sung and Chae “yoman” Young-mun, further into their lineup.
Meanwhile, T1 are riding high after their recent campaign in Tokyo, which secured them a spot at the Red Bull Home Ground Main Event in Berlin, Germany. With the additions of Yu “BuZz” Byung-chul, Kim “Meteor” Tae-o, and Ko “Sylvan” Young-sub, T1 have positioned themselves as one of the top contenders for the upcoming season in VCT Pacific.
Saturday, November 2 (time in GMT+8 / SGT)
- 13:00 – Gen.G vs. Trace Esports
- 16:00 – T1 vs. EDward Gaming
Sunday, November 3 (time in GMT+8 / SGT)
- 13:00 – T1 vs. Trace Esports
- 16:00 – Gen.G vs. EDward Gaming
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Cover photo courtesy of Colin Young-Wolff/Riot Games
