M80 officially refuses to participate in ESL Challenger League Season 49

M80 , which has won the ESL Challenger League three times in a row, has confirmed that it will not participate in Season 49. This decision was made against the backdrop of changes in the league structure, which will use a new format starting next season that will take into account the Valve Ranking System (VRS) to distribute half of the invites.

M80 decided to take a break to focus on other tournaments and protect their VRS points, which are key to getting invites to future events in 2025.

Reasons for refusal
According to M80 Vice President of Esports Donald “SyykoNT” Muir, despite winning the ESL Challenger League Season 48, the organization received fewer VRS points than expected. In addition, participation in the season can lead to the loss of points due to matches with other teams in the region.

“This is a risk that we consider unjustified, especially considering that playing in our home region deprives us of the opportunity to conduct European training,” Muir said.

He also added that M80 will consider returning to the league in the future, as the new format will eliminate the need to defend a slot, as it was in previous seasons.

Changes in the composition of participants
M80 's decision adds to the instability of the ESL Challenger League Season 49 roster. After the breakup of ex- FLUFFY AIMERS and the release of M80 , two new teams received invites from Relegation: ex- Take Flyte and ex-LAG.

What's next.
M80 continue to prepare for participation in international tournaments, relying on European training and maintaining their VRS positions. Meanwhile, ESL Challenger League Season 49 is about to start, and the updated lineup may come as a surprise to esports fans.