What is the Summer 2021 Unified Grand Prix and where to watch

As the summer split winds down for the League of legends Championship Series and playoffs approach, the amateur scene in the North American region is also heating up. The Proving Grounds Summer tournament is approaching fast. Some teams already locked in their spots at the NA amateur championship. But for many others, the Unified Grand Prix is the last chance to qualify.

The Summer 2021 Unified Grand Prix is taking place starting on Aug. 9. The 16-team invitational will be the last chance for teams to make it into the biggest amateur event of the year. The double-elimination tournament will last through Aug. 19. The tournament will also decide which final six teams will round out the 16-team field at the Proving Grounds Summer event. Here are all the details about who is playing, the seeding, the format, and where to watch.

Who is playing at the Unified Grand Prix

The 16 teams competing at the Unified Grand Prix have already been decided. Four of the 16 teams are the four lowest placing LCS academy teams from the 2021 Academy Summer Split. Those four teams are TSM Academy, Golden Guardians Academy, Dignitas Academy, and CLG Academy. Since all four of those teams failed to make the summer split Academy playoffs, this is their last chance to qualify for Proving Grounds Summer.

The other twelve teams were decided based on points during the Summer Tier 2 circuit. The Tier 2 circuit consisted of three different tournaments: Challengers Uprising Season 3, Risen Champions League 2021 Summer and the EGL Summer Showdown. Teams competing in these events earned points based on placement. Also, the winners of each event automatically qualified for Proving Grounds Summer. The remaining top 12 teams with the highest accumulated points that did not auto qualify will get a second chance to qualify through the Unified Grand Prix.

Congratulations to the 12 amateur teams that will be joining us August 9th for the Unified Grand Prix👏

Great work from @Challengers_Up @RisenEsportsNA and @EGL to bring us this far into the @LCSOfficial Proving Grounds Circuit💚 pic.twitter.com/wC8PJfRFfK

— Unified (@UnifiedEA) July 29, 2021

Notable teams who are playing in this event from the Tier 2 circuit include CLOL 2021 runner-ups, Maryville University as well as the amateur teams of Evil Geniuses, TSM, and Dignitas.

Format and where to watch

The event will be a double elimination tournament with the top six teams moving onto Proving Grounds Summer. The seeding for the event will have the four academy teams as the top four seeds. The remaining 12 Tier 2 circuit teams are seeded based on point standings. The final bracket is not publicly available yet but based on seeding specifics, TSM Academy will be seeded first and OQ will be seeded last.

Games will begin Aug. 9 and will be broadcast live. To catch that action tune into the Academy Twitch channel as well as the Unified live Twitch channel. More details on times and matches have not yet been made available. Stay tuned to Upcomer for the latest updates.