ASL Season 21 StarCraft: Remastered Qualifiers Start March 7–8

SOOP has confirmed that the online qualifiers for Google Play ASL Season 21 in StarCraft: Remastered will run this weekend, on March 7 (Saturday) and March 8 (Sunday), starting at 1 p.m. KST on both days. The matches will be played on StarCraft: Remastered and broadcast live on the official ASL channel on SOOP.

Slots, format and link to the main event

The qualifiers will decide 22 of the 24 spots in the ASL Season 21 Round of 24 main event. Twelve players will qualify on Day 1, with ten more advancing on Day 2, while the remaining two slots have already been secured by the winners of the new ASL Season Open tournament.​

According to the official schedule, the ASL Season 21 main event is planned as an offline Korean Premier tournament organized by SOOP, taking place from March 23 to May 24, 2026. The qualifiers therefore act as the only route into the studio phase for most players this season.

Flash officially returns

The highlight news attached to these qualifiers is the official return of Lee “Flash” Young-ho to ASL Season 21. Korean coverage notes that Flash, long regarded as one of the greatest terran players in Brood War history, is entered to compete again on an ASL stage after stepping away from regular participation due to wrist issues.

Map pool and Season 21 environment

ASL Season 21 is using a refreshed map pool that combines new creations and updated classics, with community posts pointing to maps such as Jane Doe, Attitude, Octagon, KnockOut, Pole Star, Match Point and Neo Sylphid in the rotation. Several of these maps, including Octagon and Pole Star, have already been used in ASL Season Open matches, giving players early experience ahead of the main qualifiers.

Broadcast and Drops event

All ASL Season 21 qualifier broadcasts will air on SOOP’s official ASL channel (afstar1), maintaining the brand fans are familiar with. During the qualifiers, viewers can also participate in a Drops event: watching through the official channel enters them into giveaways for Google Play gift cards, continuing the promotion linked to Google Play’s title sponsorship of the league.