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It's almost time to buckle up for the next ride in Malta for ESL Pro League Season 18 after a thrilling week in Riyadh.
As more events are played with the new rosters, their skill levels and the direction in which they are heading become increasingly evident. This progression is crucial as they move forward, inching closer to the Counter-Strike 2 update.
The month-long event will occur in Saint Julian’s, InterContinental Malta venue, from August 30th until the first of October.
The event will be an adrenaline-fueled extravaganza, and despite the event’s length, the matches will make up for it.
Teams attending
32 teams will lock horns for a chance to rise to glory, including fifteen partnered teams and others that qualified through ESL World ranking or their respective regional qualifiers.
Group A:
- Team Vitality - Partnered team
- Astralis - Partnered team
- Ninjas in Pyjamas - Partnered team
- FURIA Esports - Partnered team
- Movistar Riders - ESL Challenger Melbourne
- GamerLegion - ESL World Ranking
- Grayhound - ANZ Champs
- ORKS - European Conference
Group B:
- Heroic - Partnered team
- ENCE - Partnered team
- Evil Geniuses - Partnered team
- MOUZ - Partnered team
- MIBR - ECL S44 North America
- BIG - Partnered team
- Monte - ECL S44 Europe
- Rooster - Oceanic Qualifier
Group C:
- FaZe Clan - Partnered team
- Natus Vincere - Partnered team
- Apeks - ECL S45 Europe
- Fnatic - Partnered team
- Imperial Esports - Brasil Premier League
- 9z Team - South American Qualifier
- M80 - ECL S45 North America
- 5yclone - ECL S45 Asia-Pacific
Group D:
- G2 Esports - Partnered team
- Cloud9 - ESL World Ranking
- Team Liquid - Partnered team
- Virtus Pro - ESL Challenger Katowice
- Complexity - Partnered team
- 9INE - ESL World Ranking
- Eternal Fire - European Conference
- Lynn Vision - ECL S44 Asia-Pacific
How to watch ESL Pro League Season 18
EPL 18 will be broadcast on ESL’s Twitch channel as well as on their B and C streams since the event will feature simultaneous matches during the play-in and main stages.
In addition to the mainstream, several popular streamers, including ohnepixel, fl0m, and Gaules will also be co-streaming the event on their Twitch channels so that you can enjoy both the games and live reactions from the streamers.
The first match will kick off at 3:00 PM CEST on the first day and at 11:30 AM for the remaining days of the Group Stage.
The winners of last year's ESL Pro League (Image Credits: ESL)Format, prize pool distribution
Group Stage:
The tournament features four groups, each using a triple-elimination format and consisting of eight competing teams.
The matches throughout the tournament are played in a BO3 format, adding a layer of intensity to the competition. Following the group stage battles, the top four teams from each group secure their passage to the Playoffs, the ultimate stage of the event.
Notably, the winners of each group's stage directly advance to the Quarterfinals, while the second-place teams move forward to the Round of 12 as the High Seeds. Additionally, the third-place teams from the group stage progress to the Round of 16 as the High Seeds, and even the fourth-place teams find a path to the Round of 16 as the Low Seeds.
Playoffs:
- Single-Elimination bracket
- All matches are BO3s except for the Grand Final, which is a BO5
The total prize pool is $850K, with most of it going to the Champion in addition to a ticket to IEM Katowice 2024 and the BLAST World Final. The winnings are spread among the rest of the participants, as seen below:
Prize Pool Distribution (Image Credits: Liquipedia)Scores, Brackets, Results
Group A:
Group A Bracket (Image Credits: Liquipedia)Group B:
Group B Bracket (Image Credits: Liquipedia)Group C:
Group C Bracket (Image Credits: Liquipedia)Group D:
Group D Bracket (Image Credits: Liquipedia)