The 2024 HCS Atlanta Major hosted by FaZe Clan starts on Friday

(Gray News) - FaZe Clan is hosting the Halo Championship Series (HCS) 2024 Atlanta Major, which starts today at the Gateway Center Arena. Sixteen teams are competing to become the 2024 HCS Atlanta Major Champion alongside a hefty cut of the $250,000 prize pool. The Grand Final will be held on Sunday afternoon to decide the tournament winner. But before teams make it there, they have to complete Pool Play and make it through the Championship Bracket.

Four of the sixteen teams that reach Pool Play must first compete in an Open Bracket that starts today. The four teams that emerge from this Open Bracket get distributed amongst the four pre-established pools. The other twelve teams have already qualified for Pool Play and were assigned to their pools before the start of the tournament. These teams will begin their major with their initial two pool matches today. At the end of Pool Play, the top two teams in each pool will move on to the Championship Upper Bracket. The team that places third in each pool will move on to the Championship Lower Bracket. The team in fourth will simply be eliminated from the tournament.

POOL A

• FaZe Clan
• Complexity Gaming
• Ascending Baseline EU
• TBD (Open Bracket Spot)

In Pool A, it’s safe to say that FaZe will likely take one of the top two spots. They are one of the favorites to win the tournament, having won the most recent major and the 2023 World Championship. Complexity is a strong contender to fill the other top spot out of Pool A.

POOL B

• OpTic Gaming
• Into The Breach
• Pure
• TBD

OpTic is the top choice out of Pool B, as they finished second at the two other HCS Majors so far this year. Their team thrives on consistency and usually goes deep at any tournament. Into The Breach will likely take the second spot out of this pool.

POOL C

• Shopify Rebellion
• Sentinels
• Cloud9
• TBD

Shopify Rebellion is another favorite to get near the podium. They have a tougher pool, though, as the Sentinels and Cloud9 can show up on any given day and throw a wrench in the works. The Sentinels finished in the 5th-place tie at the most recent major in London, and Cloud9 finished in the 7th-place tie. Shopify Rebellion should take one of the top two spots. As for the other spot, it’s a toss-up.

POOL D

• Spacestation Gaming
• Quadrant
• BitterSweet
• TBD

Pool D is similar to Pool C, except it is a battle between two teams. Spacestation Gaming and Quadrant will most likely make it out of this pool and into the Upper Bracket. The pivotal match in this Pool is the match between them. Spacestation has the edge, but Quadrant can never be counted out. The series will likely decide who gets the top seed out of the pool.

Pool Play starts today and will conclude Saturday at 3 PM. The beginning of the Championship Bracket will promptly follow the conclusion of Pool Play on Saturday. The Championship bracket will end on Sunday afternoon with the Grand Finals, which will determine the victor of the HCS Atlanta Major 2024.

To watch all the action live, tune in to the official HCS YouTube channel or Halo Twitch stream.

Gray Television is an investor in OpTic Gaming.