ESL Pro League S18 Playoffs – Preview

The ESL Pro League S18 Group Stage is history, and we already know the 16 teams that will be present in the playoffs of what will undoubtedly be the last tournament in the era of our beloved CS:GO.

The best 4 teams in each of the 4 groups left everything in every match in the Group Stage, and there is no doubt that they deserve this award. In the first phase, we observed some surprises, such as, for example:

• The elimination of NiP and GamerLegion in Group A.
• Heroic’s disappointing run in Group B
• The qualification of 9z Team in Group C
• Finally, the elimination of Cloud9 and Team Liquid in Group D.

Similarly, we all know that anything can happen in the ESL Pro League, and with the current high level of play in the CS:GO competitive scene, any team can win.

ESL Pro League S18 – Details

Now then, the ESL Pro League S18 playoffs kick off next Tuesday, September 26, 2023, with the Round of 16 matches, where we will have best-of-three (BO3) series in all rounds, except for the Grand Final, which is played best-of-five (BO5).

The format used in these playoffs is single elimination, i.e., a team that loses team that is eliminated from the tournament. As a result, there is no margin of error for any of the teams.

As mentioned, the winner of each group qualified directly for the Quarterfinals, i.e., two rounds are skipped in the playoffs. Then, the second-place team advanced directly to the Round of 12, while the third and fourth-place teams started their journey from the beginning, the Round of 16.

Below, we will show the 16 teams participating in the ESL Pro League S18 playoffs.

Group A

• Team Vitality
• Astralis
• Movistar Riders
• FURIA Esports

Group B

• ENCE
• MOUZ
• BIG
• Mount

Group C

• NaVi
• FaZe Clan
• Fnatic
• 9z Team

Group D

• G2 Esports
• Complexity Gaming
• pro
• Eternal Fire

ALL 16 TEAMS IN THE #ESLProLeague SEASON 18 PLAYOFFS!@TeamVitality @AstralisCS @Movistar_Riders @FURIA @ENCE @mousesports @BIGCLANgg @Monte_Esports @natusvincere @FaZeClan @FNATIC @9zTeam @G2CSGO @Complexity @virtuspro@eternalfiregg

🗓️26th Sept – 1st Oct pic.twitter. com/5Y2L94iiIp

— ESL Counter-Strike (@ESLCS) September 24, 2023

Schedule

As mentioned, the third and fourth-place finishers of each group start their ESL Pro League playoff run from the Round of 16, and the first matches will be as follows:

September 26

• Fnatic vs. Monte – 15:30 CEST
• Astralis vs. Eternal Fire – 15:30 CEST
• pro vs. 9z Team – 19:00 CEST
• MOUZ vs. FURIA Esports – 19:00 CEST

The bracket for the #ESLProLeague Season 18 Playoffs is SET! 🔒

Check out where your favorite team is starting their playoff campaign 👇 pic.twitter.com/p5VNvv9J8E

— ESL Counter-Strike (@ESLCS) September 24, 2023

Then, for the Round of 12 matches, we have Complexity, BIG, Movistar Riders, and FaZe Clan waiting for their respective opponents, and these matches will be played next Wednesday, September 27. We have Team Vitality, NaVi, ENCE, and G2 Esports in the Quarterfinals. Finally, the tournament’s Grand Final takes place next Sunday, October 1, 2023, at 16:00 CEST.

Header: ESL