Finnish Esports League joins Challengermode's NEL

Finland’s most popular esports competition, the Finnish Esports League (FEL.gg) is now part of Challengermode’s NEL (National Esports Leagues) project, joining a quickly growing group of regional or national leagues across Europe. Some of the other regions include the Baltics, the Balkans, Spain and Portugal as well as the Nordic countries. Having previously operated as a standalone competition, the FEL.gg will now provide its top teams with the chance to qualify into Nordic and European regional competitions, bridging the gap between amateur and professional esports on the one hand, and the local and international on the other hand.

“We’re more than excited to include the FEL within our NEL competitions, as it will provide the Finnish esports scene with the longevity and seriousness it deserves. Having previously hosted the FEL as part of the larger Nordic Esports Leagues we can now together with FEL take the competition to the next level by offering local language broadcasts, improved operations and a closer connection to grassroots esports in Finland. Needless to say, we believe this is a great thing for both the NEL project as a whole and the local Finnish esports ecosystem.”
- Philip Skogsberg, CMO at Challengermode

Running on challengermode.com using the league system, the FEL will now provide a structure for amateur and semi-pro teams to play in a serious but accessible esports environment, while allowing participants to compete at a skill level that is appropriate to them, regardless of where in the division structure they are playing.

"By joining forces with Challengermode, we are able to not only accelerate the growth of our established leagues but also help the Finnish teams and players reach new heights. Professionalizing the booming esports scene in Finland has been a top priority for us since day one, and with a partner like Challengermode and the tools they are providing us with, we are taking a huge leap forward in that process.”
- Jussi Halme, CEO at FEL

Within the NEL framework, all the regional or national leagues receive one or more qualification spots to a larger yearly pan-European competition, providing a clear path to the top for non-pro and semi-pro teams. More information will be announced about this in the near future.

The latest season of the FEL on Challengermode started on March 4th and will run alongside the upcoming seasons for the other Nordic leagues in Sweden, Denmark and Norway, starting in April. FEL is primarily played in the game CS:GO, while DreamHack will continue running the Finnish league as a qualifier for the Nordic ERL in League of Legends.

In summary:

• FEL.gg launches CS:GO league via Challengermode, including it as part of the NELs.
• The best teams in the league will get a chance to qualify to larger pan-European competitions.

The national leagues, jointly named NEL - National Esports Leagues - were launched as a concept during spring of 2018. The NEL is a new competitive ecosystem that is based on several interconnected national or regional league competitions across several popular game titles. The purpose with the leagues is to create a structure where regular players can compete at their skill level in national competitions and get the chance to go all the way to international professional competitions.

Challengermode will continue to expand the NEL framework to more countries & regions in Europe throughout 2019. Established tournament organizers and esports broadcasting companies are urged to submit their interest to host NEL competitions in their region through the partner portal.