This is the full text of ESEA's 30/1/2017 press release.

In partnership with ESL, MTN DEW® and ESEA are pleased to announce Season 2 of the Mountain Dew League. Created to give thousands of amateur gaming teams the opportunity to qualify directly into the ESL Counter-Strike: Global Offensive Pro League, the Mountain Dew League will once again feature up-and-coming CS:GO talent as they make their way to the Mountain Dew League Global Finals.

After a successful first season, Team Kinguin from Europe and the North American roster of Team SoloMid—now playing for Misfits in the upcoming season—made their way to Season 5 of the ESL Pro League, while Rouge took first place at the Mountain Dew League Global Challenge Finals. Online viewers consumed over 400,000 hours of content during the Finals at the ESL Studios in Burbank, California, and the live stream generated more than 1.7 million views.

Season 2 will kick off on Tuesday, January 31 with 16 teams across Europe and North America qualifying for playoffs. Following the eight-week long regular season, the finals will span across four days and feature the top four teams from each region battling for three ESL Pro League Season 6 spots and a share of the MDL Finals Season 2 prize pool.

“Cultivating the skill and experience of aspiring professional gamers is critical to the success of esports as an industry,” said ESL America CEO Craig Levine. “With support from Mountain Dew, we are happy to announce Season 2 of the MDL and look forward to watching as new teams make their way to the ESL Pro League.”

For more information, visit the ESEA website and follow ESEA on Twitter and Facebook.