German authorities recently issued a statement on how quarantine measures will change in the coming months. Although some of the restrictions will be relaxed in May, the ban on mass events will last longer than originally expected: events involving large gatherings of people cannot be organized until August 31. As a result, the ESL One Cologne tournament , which was to be held in July, was jeopardized.
It was planned that it would be held Lanxess-Arena, which seats fifteen thousand spectators. Selection for ESL One Cologne will be done through the ESL Pro Tour regional rankings: the teams with the most points during the season will be included.
The final decision on whether the tournament will be held in the usual offline format will be made a little later. German officials say they will adjust the restrictive measures every two weeks, depending on how the situation develops. ESL representatives have yet to comment specifically.
Previously, the spread of the coronavirus pandemic has already led to a change in the format of many eSports competitions. The tournament in Katowice was held without spectators, the selection system for Road to Rio was changed, and ESL One Rio 2020 was postponed to the fall.
