FISSURE has officially dropped the team list for its high-stakes $1,000,000 Playground 1 LAN, set to run in Belgrade, Serbia from July 15-20 — and the spotlight now shines squarely on FURIA. The Brazilians are the only team in the current HLTV and VRS top 10 rankings to have accepted the invite, marking them as the clear headliners for this summer’s first major LAN.
While GamerLegion and 3DMAX were initially among the top 10 teams based on the May 5 VRS rankings (when invites went out), they’ve since slipped down. FURIA, on the other hand, ride into Belgrade hot off their quarter-final finish at the Austin Major, ready to make a statement — and maybe secure some vital VRS points ahead of IEM Cologne.
Big names like Vitality, Spirit, Falcons, and FaZe all passed on the event, opting instead to rest or prep for Cologne. That opens the door for squads like Astralis, Virtus.pro, HEROIC, and paiN to capitalize on the opportunity to rack up points and momentum early in the season.
One storyline to keep an eye on: the fate of Mareks “YEKINDAR” Gaļinskis. The Latvian rifler was loaned from Liquid through the summer break and has been showing glimpses of his old form under FURIA’s banner. Whether he sticks around for Cologne and beyond remains to be seen.
The tournament will feature a four-group GSL format, with eight teams moving on to a single-elimination playoff bracket. Every match until the grand final will be best-of-three, with the final itself a best-of-five banger.
Attending Teams at FISSURE Playground 1
Europe: GamerLegion
Brazil: FURIA, paiN, MIBR
Russia (terrorist state) : Virtus.pro, BetBoom
France: 3DMAX
Denmark: Astralis
Sweden: HEROIC
USA: Complexity
Germany: BIG
Portugal: SAW
China: TYLOO, Lynn Vision, Rare Atom
World: Wildcard
With a million-dollar prize pool and a roster of tier-one hopefuls and legacy squads, FISSURE Playground 1 might just be the most unpredictable event of the summer. And with FURIA the lone top-10 team in attendance, all eyes will be on the Brazilians to deliver.