Your Guide To ESL Pro League Season 21

With ESL Pro League moving from Malta to Sweden for Season 21, everything feels a bit fresh, but the premise remains the same: 24 of the best Counter-Strike 2 (CS2) esports teams will compete for glory.

Let's take a look at the most important ESL Pro League Season 21 details so you don't miss out on any of the CS2 esports action.

ESL Pro League Play-In Details

The Play-In Stage, also known as Stage 1, will be held from 1 to 5 March at the ESL Studio in Stockholm, Sweden. 

There are 16 teams competing for only eight spots in the main event. The teams have been invited based on their VRS Global standings, and some have qualified for Challenger leagues. Check out the teams list below.

• Eternal Fire
• 3DMAX
• FURIA
• GamerLegion
• FlyQuest
• SAW
• HEROIC
• Nemiga Gaming
• M80
• NRG
• TYLOO
• Lynn Vision
• paiN Gaming
• MIBR
• Mindfreak
• Housebets

The format is a 16-team Swiss System, and all matches are BO3. The top eight advance to the main event, and the bottom eight are eliminated. 

ESL Pro League S21 Main Event Schedule & Format

The ESL Pro League Season 21 Main Event is, in itself, broken up into two Stages. Teams are competing in front of a crowd on LAN from 7 to 16 March for their share of the $1 million prize pool. 

It starts with the Group Stage, where the eight teams who got through the Play-In will compete with the eight direct invite teams in a 16-team Swiss System format, where all matches are BO3, and the top eight advance to the Playoffs Stage. 

Direct Invite teams:

• Team Spirit
• Team Vitality
• The MongolZ
• MOUZ
• Team Falcons
• G2 Esports
• NAVI
• Team Liquid

Once Stage 2 (Group Stage) is complete, the final eight teams will compete in a single-elimination bracket in the Playoffs Stage. The Quarterfinals and Semifinals are BO3, and the Grand Final is a BO5 slugfest.

MOUZ are the Season 19 and Season 20 defending champions, and since they recently won PGL Cluj-Napoca, the sky's the limit.

How To Watch ESL Pro League Season 21

You can use the official ESLCS Twitch channel to watch all the live streams from ESL Pro League Season 21 and catch up with highlights and videos via the official ESL Counter-Strike YouTube channel. We've embedded the main ESLCS Twitch channel below for your viewing convenience.

Stay tuned to our esports section for all the latest news, updates, esports coverage, interviews, and more.