9z Team qualified for CCT Online Finals 3, but had to withdraw due to a date conflict with another tournament. The information was shared by the sports director of the South American organization.

9z's sports director, Sebastián "siag" Ahumada, explained that the team decided not to participate in CCT Online Finals 3 because the championship would conflict with their participation in ESL Pro League Season 18. Siag also noted that he tried to swap 9z's slot from the third season of CCT Online Finals to the fourth, but it was not possible.

We warned CCT about how poorly the competition was planned, and we hope that this will be corrected in the future. We also hope that they will announce the tournament in advance so that teams can organize their schedules in a timely and professional manner.

Sebastián "siag" Ahumada, sports director of 9z Team.

Who will replace 9z in CCT Online Finals 3?

9z, Sharks, and Paquetá are the teams that qualified for CCT Online Finals 3 because they finished in the top three in the second cycle of CCT in South America. According to the rules, if a qualifying team withdraws, the slot goes to the next team in the rankings. In the case of South America, BESTIA would replace 9z, but it's unclear whether the substitution will actually take place.

READ MORE: Bounty Hunters Esports declined to continue participating in Liga Série B due to a date conflict with a CCT tournament.

9z's Journey to ESL Pro League Season 18

9z will start their journey in EPL S18 in Group C. In the first round, the team led by Maximiliano "max" Gonzales will face FaZe Clan. The match is scheduled for September 13, 20:30 EEST. The pre-match statistics of the teams are available at the link.

EPL S18 takes place from August 30 to October 1 in Malta. Teams compete for a prize pool of $850,000. The champion will also secure slots for IEM Katowice 2024 and BLAST Premier: World Final 2023. You can follow the schedule and results of the competition here.