Competition got underway after the reverberations had died down from a tumultuous Opening Ceremony and Paris Panthers ended the night topping the qualifiers, with Doha Fursan Qatar second and Shanghai Swans third.

This is a new concept for the sport involving individual Global Champions Tour riders, who will be in solo action at the weekend, and GCL teams who have competed throughout the season for a place at the lucrative finale in the Czech Republic's capital city.

There is an unprecedented €12 million (£10.7 million/$13.64 million) in prize money on offer.

The GCT has served as a qualifying process for 16 individual riders to reach the "Super Grand Prix" event in Prague.

The 16 challengers will face two formidable 1.60 metre tracks on Saturday (December 15) night in the high-stakes showdown and include Tour winner Ben Maher of Britain.

The pressure levels rose thanks to a competition format in which every score counts for each of the team’s three riders.

With teams jumping in reverse order of their season standings, it was New York Empire who started the competition.

However, their challenge came to a dramatic end when pathfinder David Will's mount Forest Gump took exception to the Czech flag fence and the pair were eliminated.

"I'm sorry for my team-mates as we were all enthusiastic coming here and wanted to do well," said Will afterwards. 

"It's a little bit impressive coming in to this arena, but the horses are all experienced so I didn't expect that to happen."

The faults added up, too, for the next team, the Cannes Stars, before a confident looking trio from the Paris Panthers leapt to the top of the leaderboard courtesy of a double clear from Gregory Wathelet on the hugely careful MJT Nevados S and Darragh Kenny riding Balou Du Reventon.

With Yuri Mansur and Ibelle Ask just knocking a rail at the Czech flag planks, their team total of four was to prove the one to beat.

"That was the most important thing – to make sure we got through to tomorrow's semi-final, so it's great to have got that done," said Kenny. 

Sadly, those leaving the tournament at this stage included the home team, Prague Lions, who were accompanied by New York Empire, Cannes Stars and St Tropez Pirates.

The season's top four teams from the GCL championship, London Knights, Valkenswaard United, Miami Celtics and Rome Gladiators, are back in the mix for today's semi-finals and with each of the 12 teams starting back on a zero score and the opportunity for horse and rider substitutions before the penultimate decider, tactics, strategy and clear focus will be in order as teams battle for a place in Sunday's final.