YaLLa has revealed the first wave of invited teams for the upcoming Compass Qatar tournament, alongside adjustments to the schedule, competition format, and prize distribution. The event, originally planned to run until April 20, will now conclude a day earlier to accommodate tight travel schedules for several participating teams.
Among the teams that have provisionally accepted invitations are Eternal Fire, Astralis, paiN, Virtus.pro, 3DMAX, and MIBR. However, these lineups remain subject to change due to potential scheduling conflicts with the BLAST.tv Austin Major Regional Qualifiers (MRQ). The uncertainty surrounding the MRQs has made finalizing the invited teams particularly challenging, with some squads potentially forced to withdraw if they do not secure a direct slot for the Major.
The overlap with the MRQs presents a significant logistical hurdle. The qualifiers are set to run simultaneously with Compass Qatar, making it impossible for teams to compete in both. Virtus.pro and 3DMAX, ranked just outside the automatic qualification zone for the Austin Major, are among the teams at risk. If their standings do not improve by the crucial April 7 ranking update, they will be required to participate in the Major qualifiers, forcing them to drop out of Compass Qatar. This uncertainty has also delayed the confirmation of teams for the closed qualifier, which will determine six additional teams set to compete at the main event.
Eternal Fire has committed to a particularly demanding schedule, set to compete in a relentless series of tournaments in the coming months. Their journey will take them across multiple continents, starting with BLAST Open Lisbon in Portugal from March 19-30. From there, they will head straight to Romania for PGL Bucharest, running April 6-13, before traveling to Qatar for Compass Qatar from April 16-19. With little time to regroup, they will then head to Australia for IEM Melbourne, beginning just two days later on April 21, before continuing their campaign in Kazakhstan at PGL Astana in May, then heading to the U.S. for IEM Dallas later that month. If their current standing in the VRS holds, they are also expected to receive a direct invite to Stage 3 of the BLAST.tv Austin Major, scheduled to begin on June 12.
To accommodate these logistical challenges, the tournament organizers have adjusted the event’s format. The grand final, originally planned as a best-of-five showdown, will now be played as a best-of-three, with both the semi-finals and final taking place on the same day.
Following the approach taken by recent events such as PGL and FISSURE, YaLLa has announced an equal division of the $600,000 prize pool between participating organizations and their players. With this prize structure, the tournament aims to ensure fair financial distribution while fostering a competitive environment.
With invitations still being finalized and the closed qualifier yet to take place, the confirmed teams for YaLLa Compass Qatar so far include Eternal Fire from Turkey, Astralis from Denmark, paiN representing Brazil, Virtus.pro from Russia, 3DMAX from France, and MIBR from Brazil. The remaining six slots will be determined through the closed qualifier, making it a crucial opportunity for additional teams to secure their spot at this high-stakes event.
