FISSURE Universe Episode 4: Format, Schedule, Fixtures and More

We’re on the verge of FISSURE Universe Episode 4, and teams are ready for a new challenge. We have 16 teams fighting for the biggest share of half a million dollars. This tournament deviates a little from what we’re used to seeing, with different teams coming from most regions.

Let’s take a closer look and summarize all you need to know about FISSURE Universe Episode 4 before it starts. The tournament is going to be online, using the Western European servers, starting tomorrow (22) and continuing through the next week, all the way until March 30th.

We'll have interesting matchups right from the start. - Credit: Twitter (@fissure_eng)

FISSURE Universe Ep. 4: Format

Firstly, let’s round up the basic information about the tournament. FISSURE Universe Ep. 4 will have two stages. It starts on March 22nd with a modified Swiss-system format featuring 16 teams, with matches decided by best-of-3. As usual, the Swiss-system eliminates half of the candidates, meaning the top 8 will move on to the playoffs.

After that, the eight teams that advanced to the playoffs will compete in a classic double-elimination bracket. In a similar fashion to the group stage, the matches will be decided by best-of-3. Lastly, the Grand Finals will also follow the traditional best-of-5 format to close things out.

Invited and qualified teams

Despite having 4 invites already announced, the FISSURE team surprised us with 4 extra invites on March 7th. The official FISSURE Telegram channel released a list with the invited teams, as we can see below.

It's important to note that Tundra Esports had a last minute emergency and will play with a stand-in. Instead of Matthew "Whitemon" Filemon, the team brings Tal "Fly" Aizik as a hard support for the tournament.

At the same time, we should not forget the teams that earned their spots through the regional qualifiers. As we’ve mentioned before, we have an unusual lineup this time, with teams that haven’t appeared in other tournaments.

Western and Eastern Europe each have 2 slots, and every remaining region has 1 slot. Surprisingly, out of the 8 qualified teams, only 4 have already participated in another Tier 1 tournament in 2025. Night Pulse, One Move, 1win, and M80 are all making their debut in a major tournament this year.

It’s a great opportunity to see how they fare against the fan favorites. - Credit: Telegram (@fissure_pro_dota2)

FISSURE Universe Ep. 4: day one matchups

Finally, we’ve reached the best part of this preview: the matchups for the first day. As shown above, the tournament starts at 10:00 CET (09:00 GMT). While tournaments tend to be pretty punctual with the first match of the day, subsequent matches depend on the duration of the ones before them.

If everything goes as expected, the last match will start at 20:30 CET (19:30 GMT). Now, let’s take a closer look at the schedule below, with links to each match on the Strafe website:

• 09:00 GMT - Team Tidebound x One Move
• 09:00 GMT - Team Liquid x Wildcard
• 12:30 GMT - BetBoom Team x Boom Esports
• 12:30 GMT - Gaimin Gladiators x M80
• 16:00 GMT - Team Spirit x Aurora Gaming
• 16:00 GMT - Team Falcons x 1win Team
• 19:30 GMT - Tundra Esports x Talon Esports
• 19:30 GMT - PARIVISION x Night Pulse

A quick look at the invited talent

As usual, Eastern European tournaments tend to invite local talent and rising stars to get the show going. FISSURE decided on a list with established names such as Lacoste and LizZard, as well as new faces that returning fans might not recognize.

For example, we have Adam "343" Erwann, who has been working in Dota 2 since the "good old days" but only recently returned as talent. Nonetheless, everyone was invited for a reason, and we can be sure that they will do an excellent job.

The tournament will be broadcasted through FISSURE's official channels on Twitch (primary and secondary). If you'd rather use YouTube they also stream using their official channel.

Since the next round depends on the results of these matches, this is where we stand for now. FISSURE Universe Episode 4 is the last stop for big teams before ESL One Raleigh, returning to the USA after a decade.

If you want to keep up with the latest updates on FISSURE Universe Episode 4, check our tournament page via this link. On the other hand, for a broader view and the latest news about eSports, you should check our news page!

Featured Image Source: Reddit (r/Dota2) and Liquipedia