ESL Pro League celebrated its 20th season in 2024, kicking off on Tuesday, Sept. 3 with a massive 32 Counter-Strike 2 coming from far and wide to compete for the lion’s share of a $750,000 USD prize pool.
BLAST Premier points were also up for grabs here, but eyes were on Malta this month as this was likely the last Pro League as we know it in this format. ESL, among the other big Counter-Strike 2 tournament organizers, will be adjusting their events for 2025 and beyond thanks to the open circuit change-up.
MOUZ had won the previous two editions of EPL—did the European squad make it three in a row? Here’s everything you need to know about ESL Pro League Season 20.
ESL Pro League Season 20 format and teams
ESL Pro League Season 20 featured one of the most in-depth formats in modern Counter-Strike; a huge 32 teams battled through four groups of eight over the course of two weeks. Each group featured a “triple” elimination bracket: The two teams from the upper bracket final, the middle bracket winner, and the lower bracket winner all progressed to the playoffs.
Each match was best-of-three. The winner of the upper bracket started the playoffs in the quarterfinals, meaning everything was to play for in the earlier stage of the tournament. The loser of the upper-bracket final began in the final 12, while the middle and lower-bracket winners started in the round of 16.
The playoffs were single-elimination, so a successful group stage meant teams skipped a huge chunk of the final bracket.
Here are the CS2 teams that participated in ESL Pro League Season 20.
| Group A | Group B | Group C | Group D |
|---|---|---|---|
| FaZe Clan | Team Spirit | MOUZ | Team Vitality |
| FlyQuest | MIBR | BIG | FURIA |
| HEROIC | The MongolZ | Complexity | Team Liquid |
| Lynn Vision | KOI | Fnatic | RED Canids |
| NAVI | G2 Esports | Astralis | Virtus.pro |
| Ninjas in Pyjamas | 3DMAX | M80 | ENCE |
| Eternal Fire | 9z | Imperial | Falcons |
| Sangal Esports | Wildcard | Rooster | ATOX Esports |
ESL Pro League Season 20 schedule and results
Playoffs
All match times are in Central Time (CT).
Tuesday, Sept. 17
- 6am: HEROIC 2-0 VP
- HEROIC win 13-8 (Ancient).
- HEROIC win 13-6 (Dust 2).
- HEROIC proceeds to round of 12 vs. MIBR; VP is eliminated.
- 6am: BIG 1-2 MongolZ
- BIG win 22-19 (Ancient).
- MongolZ win 13-11 (Nuke).
- MongolZ win 13-9 (Mirage).
- MongolZ proceeds to round of 12 vs. Eternal Fire; BIG is eliminated.
- 9:15am: Spirit 2-0 FURIA
- Spirit win 13-9 (Nuke).
- Spirit win 13-11 (Anubis).
- Spirit proceeds to round of 12 vs. Imperial; FURIA is eliminated.
- 12:30pm: FaZe 0-2 Complexity
- Complexity win 13-10 (Anubis).
- Complexity win 13-9 (Dust 2).
- Complexity proceeds to round of 12 vs. Liquid; FaZe is eliminated.
Wednesday, Sept. 18
- 6am: Eternal Fire 2-1 MongolZ
- MongolZ win 16-13 (Mirage).
- Eternal Fire win 13-9 (Anubis).
- Eternal Fire win 13-11 (Inferno).
- Eternal Fire proceeds to quarterfinals vs. Vitality; MongolZ is eliminated.
- 6am: MIBR 2-1 HEROIC
- HEROIC win 13-9 (Mirage).
- MIBR win 13-10 (Anubis).
- MIBR win 13-5 (Nuke).
- MIBR proceeds to quarterfinals vs. M80; HEROIC is eliminated.
- 9:15am: Imperial 0-2 Spirit
- Spirit win 16-13 (Nuke).
- Spirit win 13-3 (Dust 2).
- Spirit proceeds to quarterfinals vs. NAVI; Imperial is eliminated.
- 11:30am: Liquid 2-0 Complexity
- Liquid win 13-2 (Nuke).
- Liquid win 13-7 (Anubis).
- Liquid proceeds to quarterfinals vs. G2; Complexity is eliminated.
Thursday, Sept. 19
- 9:15am: M80 0-2 MIBR
- MIBR win 13-10 (Anubis).
- MIBR win 13-8 (Ancient).
- MIBR proceeds to semifinal; M80 is eliminated.
- 12:30pm: Vitality 1-2 Eternal Fire
- Eternal Fire win 16-14 (Anubis).
- Vitality win 13-5 (Nuke).
- Eternal Fire win 22-20 (Inferno).
- Eternal Fire proceeds to semifinal; Vitality is eliminated.
Friday, Sept. 20
- 9:15am: NAVI 2-0 Spirit
- NAVI win 13-5 (Dust 2).
- NAVI win 13-9 (Mirage).
- NAVI proceeds to semifinal; Spirit is eliminated.
- 12:30pm: G2 2-1 Liquid
- G2 win 13-3 (Inferno).
- Liquid win 13-5 (Mirage).
- G2 win 13-3 (Nuke).
- G2 proceeds to semifinal; Liquid is eliminated.
Saturday, Sept. 21
- 9:15am: Eternal Fire 2-0 MIBR
- Eternal Fire win 13-7 (Nuke).
- Eternal Fire win 13-10 (Inferno).
- Eternal Fire proceeds to grand final; MIBR is eliminated.
- 12:30pm: NAVI 2-1 G2
- NAVI win 13-8 (Inferno).
- G2 win 13-11 (Nuke).
- NAVI win 13-6 (Ancient).
- NAVI proceeds to grand final; G2 is eliminated.
Sunday, Sept. 22
- 10am: Eternal Fire 2-3 NAVI
- Eternal Fire win 13-8 (Nuke).
- NAVI win 13-11 (Anubis).
- NAVI win 13-11 (Ancient).
- Eternal Fire win 13-4 (Inferno).
- NAVI win 13-11 (Dust 2).
Final standings and prizes
Here is the prize pool distribution and other rewards for placement at ESL Pro League Season 20.
| Placement | Prize ($USD) | Team(s) |
|---|---|---|
| First | $170,000 | NAVI |
| Second | $80,000 | Eternal Fire |
| Third | $45,000 | MIBR, G2 |
| Fifth | $32,000 | Vitality, M80, Liquid, Spirit |
| Ninth | $23,500 | MongolZ, HEROIC, Complexity, Imperial |
| 13th | $17,500 | BIG, VP, FaZe, FURIA |
| 17th | $12,000 | MOUZ, RED Canids, Sangal, 3DMAX |
| 21st | $7,000 | Astralis, ATOX, Falcons, Fnatic, Ninjas in Pyjamas, FlyQuest, 9z, Wildcard |
| 29th | $3,500 | Lynn Vision, KOI, Rooster, ENCE |
Group Stage
Group A – Sept. 3 to 8
Tuesday, Sept. 3
- 6:30am: FlyQuest 0-2 Eternal Fire
- 6:30am: Lynn Vision 0-2 NAVI
- 9:30am: FaZe 1-2 Sangal
- 9:30am: HEROIC 1-2 NiP
Wednesday, Sept. 4
- 9:30am: Sangal 0-2 Eternal Fire
- Eternal Fire qualifies for playoffs.
- 9:30am: FaZe 2-0 FlyQuest
- FlyQuest falls to lower bracket.
- 12:30pm: NiP 0-2 NAVI
- NAVI qualifies for playoffs.
- 12:30pm: HEROIC 2-1 Lynn Vision
- Lynn Vision falls to lower bracket.
Thursday, Sept. 5
- 12:30pm: NiP 1-2 FaZe
- NiP falls to lower bracket.
- 12:30pm: Sangal 2-1 HEROIC
- HEROIC falls to lower bracket.
Friday, Sept. 6
- 9:30am: FlyQuest 2-1 Lynn Vision
- Lynn Vision is eliminated.
- 9:30am: FaZe 2-0 Sangal
- Mid bracket final. FaZe qualifies for round of 16.
Saturday, Sept. 7
- 6:30am: FlyQuest 0-2 Sangal
- Sangal is eliminated.
- 9:30am: NiP 1-2 HEROIC
- NiP is eliminated.
- 12:30pm: Eternal Fire 0-2 NAVI
- Upper bracket final. NAVI qualifies for quarterfinals, Eternal Fire qualifies for top 12.
Sunday, Sept. 8
- 6:30am: HEROIC 2-0 Sangal
- Lower bracket final. HEROIC qualifies for top 16, Sangal is eliminated.
Group B – Sept. 3 to 8
Tuesday, Sept. 3
- 12:30pm: KOI 0-2 G2
- 12:30pm: MIBR 2-0 9z
Wednesday, Sept. 4
- 6:30am: Spirit 2-0 Wildcard
- 6:30am: MongolZ 0-2 3DMAX
Thursday, Sept. 5
- 6:30am: KOI 0-2 MongolZ
- KOI falls to lower bracket.
- 6:30am: Spirit 1-2 MIBR
- MIBR qualifies for playoffs.
- 9:30am: 3DMAX 1-2 G2
- G2 qualifies for playoffs.
- 9:30am: 9z 2-0 Wildcard
- Wildcard falls to lower bracket.
Friday, Sept. 6
- 6:30am: MongolZ 1-2 Spirit
- MongolZ falls to lower bracket.
- 6:30am: 3DMAX 2-0 9z
- 9z falls to lower bracket.
- 12:30pm: Wildcard 2-0 KOI
- KOI is eliminated.
- 12:30pm: 3DMAX 1-2 Spirit
- Mid bracket final. Spirit qualifies for round of 16.
Saturday, Sept. 7
- 6:30am: 9z 0-2 MongolZ
- 9z is eliminated.
- 9:30pm: 3DMAX 2-0 Wildcard
- Wildcard is eliminated.
Sunday, Sept. 8
- 9:30am: MongolZ 2-0 3DMAX
- Lower bracket final. MongolZ qualifies for top 16, 3DMAX is eliminated.
- 12:30pm: MIBR 0-2 G2
- Upper bracket final. G2 qualifies for quarterfinals, MIBR qualifies for top 12.
Group C – Sept. 10 to 15
Tuesday, Sept. 10
- 6:30am: MOUZ 2-1 Rooster
- 6:30am: Fnatic 2-1 Astralis
- 9:30am: BIG 1-2 Imperial
- 12:30pm: Complexity 0-2 M80
Wednesday, Sept. 11
- 9:30am: Rooster 0-2 BIG
- Rooster falls to lower bracket.
- 9:30am: Complexity 2-0 Astralis
- Astralis falls to lower bracket.
- 12:30pm: MOUZ 0-2 Imperial
- Imperial qualifies for playoffs.
- 12:30pm: M80 2-0 Fnatic
- M80 qualifies for playoffs.
Thursday, Sept. 12
- 12:30pm: Fnatic 0-2 BIG
- Fnatic falls to lower bracket.
- 12:30pm: MOUZ 0-2 Complexity
- MOUZ falls to lower bracket.
Friday, Sept. 13
- 9:30am: Rooster 0-2 Astralis
- Rooster is eliminated.
- 9:30am: BIG 2-1 Complexity
- Mid bracket final. BIG qualifies for round of 16.
Saturday, Sept. 14
- 6:30am: Fnatic 0-2 MOUZ
- Fnatic is eliminated.
- 9:30am: Complexity 2-1 Astralis
- Astralis is eliminated.
- 12:30pm: Imperial 0-2 M80
- Upper bracket final. M80 qualifies for quarterfinals, loser qualifies for top eight.
Sunday, Sept. 15
- 6:30am: MOUZ 0-2 Complexity
- Lower bracket final. Winner qualifies for top 16, loser is eliminated.
Group D – Sept. 10 to 15
Tuesday, Sept. 10
- 12:30pm: RED Canids 0-2 VP
- 12:30pm: Liquid 2-0 ENCE
Wednesday, Sept. 11
- 6:30am: Vitality 2-0 ATOX
- 6:30am: FURIA 2-1 Falcons
Thursday, Sept. 12
- 6:30am: ENCE 1-2 RED Canids
- ENCE falls to lower bracket.
- 6:30am: Vitality 2-0 FURIA
- Vitality qualifies for playoffs.
- 9:30am: Liquid 2-0 VP
- Liquid qualifies for playoffs.
- 9:30am: ATOX 0-2 Falcons
- ATOX falls to lower bracket.
Friday, Sept. 13
- 6:30am: VP 2-1 Falcons
- Falcons falls to lower bracket.
- 6:30am: FURIA 2-1 RED Canids
- RED Canids falls to lower bracket.
- 12:30pm: ATOX 2-0 ENCE
- ENCE is eliminated.
- 12:30pm: VP 2-1 FURIA
- Mid bracket final. VP qualifies for round of 16.
Saturday, Sept. 14
- 6:30am: Falcons 0-2 RED Canids
- Falcons is eliminated.
- 9:30pm: FURIA 2-0 ATOX
- ATOX is eliminated.
Sunday, Sept. 15
- 9:30am: RED Canids 0-2 FURIA
- Lower bracket final. Winner qualifies for top 16, loser is eliminated.
- 12:30pm: Vitality 2-1 Liquid
- Upper bracket final. Winner qualifies for quarterfinals, loser qualifies for top eight.
