Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is the Evolve Proving Grounds competition?
The Proving Grounds cup series features 4 online qualifier cups per region (North America & Europe), in which teams earn points towards qualifying for offline finals in Burbank (USA) & Cologne (GER). The top 2 teams from the regional offline finals will then fly to Los Angeles (USA) and fight for a share of US $100,000 prize money in the global finals.


2. How can I participate in the Evolve Proving Grounds?
To be able to compete in this event you need a team of at least 5 players with all of them fulfilling these criteria:

  • Xbox Live account
  • ESL account
  • A legal copy of Evolve
  • A player can only be part of one team in the same cup
  • A passport or residence in one of the following countries for the European qualifiers:

    Austria
    Belgium
    Bulgaria
    Croatia
    Cyprus
    Czech Republic
    Denmark
    Estonia
    Finland
    France
    Germany
    Greece
    Hungary
    Iceland
    Ireland
    Italy
    Latvia
    Liechtenstein
    Lithuania
    Luxembourg
    Malta
    Netherlands
    Norway
    Poland
    Portugal
    Romania
    Russia
    Slovakia
    Slovenia
    Spain
    Sweden
    Switzerland
    United Kingdom
    Ukraine

  • A passport or residence in one of the following countries for the North America qualifiers:

    Canada
    United States


2.1 You don't have a team?
Please check the Evolve Recruitment forum to find players to create a team.


3. How do I register a new account?
To register a new ESL account, go to the registration page and follow the steps mentioned. All you need is an email account, a password and a nickname. If you already have an ESL account but can't remember your login information, please contact the support.


4. How do I add my Xbox Live Gamertag to my ESL account?
The place to edit your player profile and everything regarding your teams is the "command center", which is accessible through the cog to the left of your nickname under the header.

  • Choose "Gameaccounts"
  • Type = Xbox Live Gamertag
  • Value = Enter your actual gamertag on Xbox Live
  • Click send
If you can't find it, use the direct link.


5. How do I create a team?
There are two possible options to create a team easily.

a) By going through the sign-up steps on the top right of the cup page which you can easily access by clicking the respective cup in the event portal. It will ask for a "Team Account" as third step. Here you can choose between teams you are already in or creating new teams. Follow the steps to successfully create a new team.

b) The second option is through the command center mentioned under point 4. by clicking the cog to the left of your nickname. In the third column you will find "Register New Team". Follow the steps again.


6. How do I add players to my team?
The easiest way is the following:

  • Go to the command center (click the cog to the left of your nickname under the header)
  • Scroll down and click "My Teams"
  • Look for the correct team and click "Manage Team" to the right of the logo
  • Copy the "Invite Players To Your Team" link and send it to your team members
  • They need to be logged in to their ESL account to successfully join the team


7. How do I give other team members permissions to sign us up or enter results?
When you create a new team, only the team creator has permissions to sign up the team for a cup and to enter results for it. However, you can easily give other team members the permissions as well:

  • Go to the command center (click the cog to the left of your nickname under the header)
  • Scroll down and click "My Teams"
  • Look for the correct team and click "Manage Team" to the right of the logo
  • Choose "Team Permissions" in the third column
  • Here you can change the permissions for each member in the team (Match Orga and Co Leader can both sign up a team for a cup and enter results, so this is suggested)
  • Attention: If you set the position of a team member to "Honorary" or "Inactive", the player is not allowed to participate in the cup.


8. How do I sign up correctly?
The sign up is super easy and straight forward, if you have already checked the steps before. Even if not, it works pretty simple. Go to the respective cup page and simply follow the "Sign Up" steps on the top right hand side. It will guide you through everything you need to do.


9. Will there be a team limit for the tournament?
The tournament size is not limited.


10. What are the correct match settings?
Please check the cup page quick rules for a first idea on the match progress and rules, and our full rules for detailed in-game settings, bans and more.


11. What proof do I need for a match result?
Both teams are responsible for making screenshots or video proofs of the results and for uploading them within 15 minutes after the match ended. The screenshots and/or videos are needed as evidence in case there is a conflict, which will be checked by a staff member. We can only take a good decision, if there is enough proof for it. A screenshot/video always needs to contain the in-game nicknames of the players and show the results/issues, so we can be sure the proof is of the according match.


12. How does a match protest work?
If you have any issues during the match, you can open a protest by clicking the link "Open Protest" in the right side bar of the Tournament. If you don't find the link, you can also use the direct link to see all matches, where you can write a protest. There you can choose your match and open a protest, so a staff member can check your issue. However, keep in mind that a protest needs to be written within 10 minutes after the match is over, so we don't have any bigger delays in the cup.


13. Where can I find the latest tournament news?
Breaking news, tournament information and announcements about the Evolve Proving Grounds can be found on our Evolve Proving Grounds Portal, on the official ESL Evolve Facebook page and on the ESL Evolve Twitter account @ESLEvolve. Important notifications for the remaining teams will also be sent through email, if necessary.


14. Any question left?
Feel free to contact our support.