Only a month after Tek-9 took home the first prize from Enschede in September 2007, the groups of Clanbase's EuroCup XVI have been released. Some of the community validly argues that this version of EuroCup contains less integrity, with champions Tek-9 and former winners Speedlink deciding not to take part, but with every loss comes a gain. This EuroCup will be a chance for the 'little' teams to step up to the challenge and play amongst the best, with new teams such as Octane and Ephix given direct invitations to the Eurocup. This years cup will be less glamorous than its predecessors, with no LAN finals planned, so this is purely an online competition

Group A

H2k.Qpad
Team Aquila
Team EsourceUK
GUMMI
KomaCrew
nEophyte

Prediction:

1. H2k.Qpad
2. Gummi or Komacrew

Group A is arguably the toughest group this season, with last season's runners up H2k.Qpad being placed here, alongside the ageless GUMMi squad and Germany's finest Komacrew. H2k are considered the favorites for this competition with the lack of Tek-9's involvement, but will they fold or hold under such pressure? EuroCup newcomers Team ESourceUK will want to show their potential as a competitive force for the future, but they will have to fight hard to progress to the playoffs with the likes of nEophyte and Komacrew standing in their path. Aquila should receive the wooden spoon in this group if everything goes according to plan, but when has it ever gone according to plan in COD2?

"Since it's the last EuroCup for cod2 (I think?) I don't really know what to expect. A lot of the top teams aren't participating but I guess it's a nice chance for other teams that would normally not make it into the EuroCup to give it a go. I'm expecting some surprising results like in every EuroCup."

Group B

THE6DEVILS
dfiance.Qpad
Ancients
LowLandLions
ULTRAFRAG
team ephix

Prediction:

1. LowLandLions
2. THE6DEVILS

Group B is where we find the Benelux battle between last seasons 4th place L3 and EuroCup newcomers Dfiance, which L3 should
easily come out of on top of. I would say that this group is the hardest to predict, due to the largely balanced competition levels throughout. UltraFrag will be a serious contender for a playoff spot if they managed to find their Wonderbase 2007 form which saw them storm to a deserved 2nd place, as will The6Devils (aka Hi-Fidelity) if they can tap into their source of energy which aided them to take a well deserved 5th/6th place spot at Outpost on Fire 2 in July. Ephix and Ancients are the underdogs for this group no doubt, with Ephix's only "achievement" being that they top the Clanbase 5v5 ladder. As I said, this group will be a tough one to call for second place, but I think that The6Devils strong lineup plus big game experience should help them through.

"I think EC looks good this year. Still some top teams in it and it's nice to see the "not so known" teams have a chance to prove themselves. About the groups, I think the groups are alright except for group A; you got kc, h2k, nEph, eSource & gummi in one group and in my opinion they should have spread them."
- Stevy (LowLandLions)