ESL Pro League Season 20: Format, Groups, Schedule and more

After a thrilling tournament in Cologne, 32 teams will land in Malta for ESL Pro League Season 20. The month-long event will occur in Saint Julian’s, InterContinental Malta venue, from the 3rd of September until the 22nd.

The event will be an adrenaline-fueled extravaganza, and despite the event’s length, the matches will make up for it as teams will battle for a $750,000 prize pool and an extra step towards the Intel Grand Slam.

But before the tournament begins, let’s take a look at the event’s details including participating teams, format and schedule.

EPL 20 Format:

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

Participating teams

Group A:

• FaZe Clan
• Sangal Esports
• FlyQuest
• Eternal Fire
• Heroic
• Ninjas in Pyjamas
• Lynn Vision
• Natus Vincere

Group B:

• Team Spirit
• Wildcard
• MIBR
• 9z Team
• The MongolZ
• 3DMAX
• KOI
• G2 Esports

Group C:

• MOUZ
• Rooster
• BIG
• Imperial Esports
• Complexity
• M80
• Fnatic
• Astralis

Group D:

• Team Vitality
• ATOX Esports
• FURIA Esports
• Team Falcons
• Team Liquid
• ENCE
• RED Canids
• Virtus.Pro

Opening Matches and Schedule:

Starting on the 3rd of September, the event will kick off with matches from Group A and Group B.

Tuesday, September 3rd

• 13:30 pm CET 

• • • FlyQuest vs. Eternal Fire
    • Lynn Vision vs. Natus Vincere

• 16:30 pm CET 

• • • FaZe Clan vs. Sangal Esports
    • Heroic vs. Ninjas in Pyjamas 

• 19:30 pm CET 

• • • MIBR vs. 9z Team
    • KOI vs. G2 Esports 

Wednesday, September 4th

• 13:30 pm CET 

• • • Team Spirit vs. Wildcard 
    • The Mongolz vs. 3DMAX

Tuesday, September 10th 

• 13:30 pm CET 

• • • Fnatic vs. Astralis 
    • MOUZ vs. Rooster

• 16:30 pm CET 

• • • BIG vs. Imperial Esports 
    • Team Liquid vs. ENCE

• 19:30 pm CET 
  • • RED Canids vs. Virtus.Pro
    • Complexity vs. M80 

Wednesday, September 11th

• 13:30 pm CET

• • • FURIA Esports vs. Team Falcons 
    • Team Vitality vs. ATOX Esports 

Scores, Brackets, Results

Group A:

Group B:

Group C:

Group D:

Where to watch ESL Pro League Season 20

ESL will stream IEM Cologne 2024 on their main Twitch & YouTube channels, as well as a secondary B stream, due to the event featuring up to two simultaneous matches during the Play-in and Group Stages.

In addition to the official broadcast, several well-known streamers, including ohnepixel, fl0m, and Gaules, will co-stream the event on their Twitch channels. This allows fans to enjoy the games alongside live reactions from their favorite personalities. The matches kick off at 10:30 AM CET, so be sure to set your alarm to catch all the action as it unfolds in Malta.

For real-time updates, follow the official ESL Counter-Strike account on X (formerly Twitter). You can also track all the action on the official Strafe Android and iOS apps, as well as the Strafe website.

Featured Image source: ESL

---

Read more:

PGL announces Counter-Strike tournaments for 2025-26

NiKo is set to join Team Falcons following the Perfect World Shanghai Major

Perfect World announces roster lock dates for Shanghai Major