This article explains the key dates, times, game information, and more for HSEL Fall '23 Premier. Please ensure that all team members are aware of the HSEL GENERAL TOURNAMENT RULES before registration. Please see the HSEL Registration Guide for more details on signing up.
Premier 101
"Premier" is the upper echelon of the High School Esports League competition. Only the top 16 schools (per region) will qualify for a pre-scheduled round-robin season. Regions (East, Central, South, and West) for each game will follow the same geographical structure as their Fall Major regional counterpart.
Click here to view the region map.
Key Dates
| Item | Date |
| Registration | 5/1 - 9/21 |
| Qualifiers | 9/18 - 9/29 |
| Regular Season | 10/2 - 11/17 |
| Playoff Seeding | 11/22 |
| Playoffs | 11/27 - 12/15 |
| Wild Card (LCQ) | 1/8 - 1/12 |
Game Information
| Game | Team Size | Platform(s) | Match Length | Playoff Size* |
| Brawlhalla | 1v1 | Cross-platform |
Bo5 Qual/Season Bo7 Playoffs |
8 (top 4 from each group) |
| Rocket League | 3v3 | Cross-platform |
Bo5 Qual/Season Bo7 Playoffs |
8 (top 4 from each group) |
| VALORANT | 5v5 | PC |
Bo1 Qualifiers Bo3 Season/Playoffs |
8 (top 4 from each group) |
*Playoff bracket size per region.
Tournament Format
| Stage | Description | Length |
| Qualifiers | 6 available queue rounds; participants may use up to 5. Top 16 per region qualify into the premiere regular season. Losses will be added for unplayed matches. | 2 weeks |
| Regular Season | 2 groups of 8 play round robin | 7 weeks of 1 match per week |
| Playoffs | 8 participants (top 4 from each group) begin with GSL groups, advancing to a single elimination knockout. Winner claims a spot in Nationals. | 2 weeks |
| Wild Card (LCQ) |
Single elimination bracket. Winner claims a spot in Nationals. Must opt-in to play.
|
~2 days | 4 or 5 rounds max. depending on opt-ins |
Qualifier Match Times
There are 6 available queue rounds; participants must play in at least 4 (up to 5) to be eligible to qualify. All games have “Last Chance Queue(s)” on the last Friday of week 2 (9/29).
| Game | Day(s) | Queue Times (includes 9/29) |
| Brawlhalla | Tuesday |
East - 4:00 pm & 5:00 pm Eastern Central & South - 4:00 pm & 5:00 pm Central West - 4:30 pm & 5:30 pm Pacific |
| Rocket League | Thursday |
East - 4:00 pm & 5:00 pm Eastern Central & South - 4:00 pm & 5:00 pm Central West - 4:30 pm & 5:30 pm Pacific |
| VALORANT | Mon/Wed/Fri |
East - 4:00 pm Eastern Central - 4:00 pm Central South - 4:30 pm Central West - 4:30 pm Pacific |
Regular Season Match Times
- Round Robin matches can be rescheduled to any point during the regular season before the end of week 7 if agreed upon by both teams in the match chat and requested via a support ticket.
- Upon receiving a 2nd FF no-show loss, a Premier participant will be removed from the competition and placed in the "Major" event for the remainder of the season. The participant will additionally be ineligible for that season's Wild Card.
| Game | Day(s) | Default Match Times |
| Brawlhalla | Tuesday |
East - 4:00 pm Eastern Central - 4:00 pm Central South - 4:30 pm Central West - 4:30 pm Pacific |
| Rocket League | Thursday |
East - 4:00 pm Eastern Central - 4:00 pm Central South - 4:30 pm Central West - 4:30 pm Pacific |
| VALORANT | Wednesday |
East - 4:00 pm Eastern Central - 4:00 pm Central South - 4:30 pm Central West - 4:30 pm Pacific |
Playoff Schedule
Click here to view the playoff schedule.
This schedule also contains the Finals match stream schedule for all 3 titles. Please note that 3rd place finals will be scheduled on the same day/time as Finals, but can be rescheduled if needed. Streamed matches cannot be rescheduled.
How to Qualify for Playoffs
- A roster must:
- Play all 7 matches in order to be eligible for playoff qualification.
- End the season at a high enough leaderboard placement (see tiebreakers below).
- The tiebreaker system will be run as a tiered protocol that will be used if multiple teams finish the regular season with the same overall record, pursuant to rule 2.11.8.1:
- Wins. (Forfeit wins and bye wins are scored as a 0-0 win)
- Head-to-head record. (If the two tied teams have played each other, their match record against each other is compared)
- Overall game-win percentage. (e.g. winning a match 3-0 is better than 3-2)
- Valorant only: Round differential. (A team with 15 rounds won and 10 rounds lost will have a round differential of +5 for that match. A higher positive value is better)
- Higher opponents’ game-win percentage. (e.g. it is better to beat an opponent who consistently won 3-0 than 3-2)
- Fewer forfeit losses.
- Fewer bye wins.
- The team which had a higher number of wins before their first loss.
- If the first loss is received after the same number of wins, then the team which lost to the stronger opponent (as defined by game win percentage) will be ranked higher.
Path to HSEL Nationals
Tournaments with a Premier event (Brawlhalla, Rocket League, VALORANT) will have a total of 10 Nationals spots per game (8 Premier winners, 2 Wild Card winners).
- The most direct way to claim a spot in HSEL Nationals will be winning your region's Premier season, either in the Fall or the Spring.
- An alternative way to qualify for HSEL Nationals is by winning one of the "HSEL Nationals Wild Card" tournaments. All non-winning HSEL Premier participants will be invited to the seasonal Wild Card, along with Major tournament regional champions, and champions of partnered state/regional leagues. Coaches must accept the invitation and opt-in for their students to be seeded into the Wild Card.