DreamHack Open Summer Begins Online in Europe and North America

Counter-Strike: Global Offensive fans and punters alike have a new reason to cheer for this month. The official schedule of the DreamHack Open Summer in Europe and North America was revealed by the organizers. The tournament will start very soon, with August 8 being the much-anticipated day and the entire event to take place exclusively over the Internet. In order to keep everyone safe, the matches will be played online, but participating teams will compete for the same tempting $100,000 prize pool.

DreamHack Open Summer bets:

Valencia and Montréal Host Stage 2 Matches

The traditional tournament format required teams to travel to select cities to compete in the DreamHack Open Summer in Europe and North America. While this is no longer the case, Valencia, Montréal and Hyderabad are still important milestones for the organizers.

The latter is the stops for the Asia and Oceania matches which run between August 7 and August 16. Just like the European counterparts the tournament is split into two stages, with the best teams qualifying to the second round.

The second stage of the European regional tournament begins on August 8 and concludes one week later on August 16. It will have an additional day of matches, to the larger number of participating teams, while also giving players more opportunities to watch their favorite game. In North America, things will unfold in the same manner, with the teams qualified for the Stage II event to compete from Aug 8 – Aug 16.

Tournament Format and Prizes

The open qualifiers are already underway and Stage I matches begin in early August, so there’s a lot of hype brewing around the DreamHack Open Summer. In addition to revealing the official dates, the organizers have also shed more light on the exact format and prize pool distribution. Six teams will be invited from Europe and just as many from North America, to join the two qualifiers. As the second stage of the event begins on August 8, all the matches will be broadcasted on the official Twitch channel.

Stage I will also involve eight teams, with the top two performers to advance to the next round of the DreamHack Open Summer. Those who finish on the third and fourth places will still be rewarded with $3000 each, while the next four will receive a paycheck worth $1000. The prizes are identical for North American and European teams, so nobody will be at a disadvantage. The big money is made by those who qualify to stage II, where even the bottom two placed teams will receive $3750 each.

DreamHack Open Summer Favourites

Bookmakers have already published the odds for the outright winners and there are no clear favorites in either North America or Europe.

BIG are credited with the first chance and odds of 5/2 by Arcanebet, followed at a short distance by Complexity, with odds of 4/1. Heroic and OG have met and exceeded expectations in 2020, so it’s not surprising that they are just a little behind with odds of 6/1.

In North America, Evil Geniuses, Team Liquid and Furia are virtually tied, with odds that revolve around 7/2 at Rivalry. 100 Thieves and Gen.G can’t be underestimated and those who take a leap of chance with them will enjoy odds of 13/2. The underdogs rarely win events of this magnitude, but if you feel lucky and willing to go for the highest odds available, 25/1 is offered on Endpoint and Ze Pug Gods.

The winners of the DreamHack Open Summer will walk away with $35,000, while the second and third place teams will receive $20,000, respectively $10,000. Finishing in the fourth place will result in a $7500 payout, while the fifth and sixth place teams will collect $5000. The magnitude of the prizes and the quality of the participating teams makes this the largest Counter-Strike: Global Offensive event in August.