ESL has announced the groups for the next edition of the Pro League, one of the most prestigious CS:GO tournaments in the world.
Season 15 of the Pro League will take place from 9 March to 10 April on a LAN setup in Malta. The 24 participating teams were split into four groups of six each, which will see half of the squads in each group advance to the playoffs. Group A includes G2, Ninjas in Pajamas, Fnatic, Entropiq, MOUZ and LookingForOrg. Group B includes Vitality, FaZe Clan, Virtus Pro, FURIA, ENCE, and Sprout.
Gambit, Liquid, GODSENT, BIG, Movistar Riders and Party Astronauts are part of Group C, while Natus Vincere is from Heroic, Astralis, Complexity, Evil Geniuses and AGO Group D. Na`Vi were the champions of the ESL Pro League season 14 and will try to defend their title.
Each group winner will advance directly to the quarterfinals, while the second and third placed teams will play in the playoffs. Playoffs will be in a single elimination format and all matches will be bo3. The grand finale will be bo5.
If all goes according to ESL's plans, this edition of the Pro League will be the first tournament played on the LAN since season 10. The last four tournaments had to be played online as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
ESL Pro League season 15 has a prize pool of $823.000. The winner will receive $175.000 plus a spot at the BLAST Premier World Final in December, while the runners-up will receive $70.000.