ESL Pro League Season 18: Schedule, Format, Teams
Updated: October 2 (added final results)
ESL Pro League Season 18 is the next big CS:GO Tier 1 event on the calendar, right before CS2's highly-anticipated release. It's the end of an era, so which team will be etching their name in the history books?
32 of the best CS:GO teams will compete for the Intel Grand Slam and the prize pool of $850,000. If that isn't enough, the winner gets a ticket straight to the BLAST Premier World Final 2023 and an automatic invitation to IEM Katowice 2024 next year.
Set your sights on ESL Pro League S18, beginning on August 30, for an action-packed month of top-tier CS:GO gameplay, ending on October 1. Read on for ESL Pro League S18's schedule, format, and all 32 teams competing.
ESL Pro League Season 18: Format
The ESL Pro League S18 format is divided into a Group Stage and the Playoffs. The first phase, the Group Stage, kicks off on August 30.
Group Stage
- All 32 teams are divided into four triple-elimination format groups. There will be eight teams per group.
- All Group Stage matches will be best-of-three.
- As with previous ESL Pro League tournaments, the winner of each group advances to the Playoffs' Quarterfinals, 2nd-place teams advance to the Round of 12, and 3rd-4th placed teams advance to the Round of 16.
Playoffs
- 16 teams participate in the Playoffs.
- Single-elimination bracket, with best-of-three matches, excluding the Grand Final, which is best-of-five.
- Winning team takes home the champion's trophy, the lion's share of the prize pool ($200,000), and invites to IEM Katowice 2024 and BLAST World Final 2023.
ESL Pro League Season 18: Teams
Thirty-two teams will participate in ESL Pro League Season 18, creating intense and electrifying competition with the top CS:GO talent worldwide. FaZe Clan won EPL S1. Will they make it a second time in a row?
Of the 32 teams, 15 are part of the ESL Permanent Partners program and are directly invited to compete in the tournament. The remaining 17 teams fought tooth and nail through various regional qualifiers to earn their slot.
Permanent Partner Teams
- Astralis: blameF, dev1ce, Buzz, Staehr, b0RUP
- BIG: tabseN, Krimbo, prosus, s1n, mantuu
- Complexity Gaming: JT, floppy, Grim, hallzerk, EliGE
- ENCE: Snappi, dycha, maden, SunPayus, NertZ
- Evil Geniuses: autimatic, Walco,Jeorge, junior, HexT
- FaZe Clan: rain, broky, Twistzz, karrigan, ropz
- Fnatic: KRIMZ, mezii, roeJ, afro, dexter
- FURIA Esports: huurih, arT, KSCERATO, FalleN, chelo
- G2 Esports: huNter-, NiKo, m0NESY, jks, HooXi
- Heroic: stavn, cadiaN, TeSeS, sjuush, Jabbi
- MOUZ: frozen, torzsi, xertioN, siuhy, Jimpphat
- Natus Vincere: s1mple, b1t, Aleksib, jL, iM
- Ninjas in Pyjamas: REZ, hampus, Brollan, headtr1ck, k0nfig
- Team Liquid: NAF, oSee, YEKINDAR, Rainwaker, Patsi
- Team Vitality: apEX, ZywOo, Magisk, Spinx, flameZ
ESL World Ranking
- 9INE (ESL World Ranking): Goofy, KEi, Kylar, mynio, hades
- Cloud9 (ESL World Ranking): sh1ro, Ax1Le, HObbit,electroNic, Perfecto
- GamerLegion (ESL World Ranking): isak, acoR, Keoz, volt, neaLan
- Movistar Riders (ESL Challenger Melbourne): mopoz, ALEX, Martinez, JUST, adamS
- Virtus.pro (ESL Challenger Katowice): Jame, LK1T, fame, n0rb3r7, Mir
Other International Qualifiers
- Monte (ECL S44 Europe): Woro2k, DemQQ, sdy, mr0, kRaSnaL
- MIBR (ECL S44 North America): exit, brnz4n, insani, drop, saffee
- Lynn Vision Gaming (ECL S44 Asia-Pacific): westmelon, z4kr, Starry, Emilia, Jee
- Apeks (ECL S45 Europe): nawwk, STYKO, jkaem, kyxsan, CacaNito
- M80 (ECL S45 North America): reck, Swisher, WolfY, malbsMd, maNkz
- 5yclone (ECL S45 Asia-Pacific): JamYoung, Moseyuh, Mercury, kaze, advent
- Eternal Fire (European Conference): Calyx, woxic, Wicadia, MAJ3R, XANTARES
- ORKS (European Conference): olimp, xNx, mwlky, Vegi, HS
- Imperial Esports (Brasil Premier League): boltz, VINI, JOTA, HEN1, felps
- Grayhound Gaming (ANZ Champs): Sico, INS, aliStair, Liazz, Vexite
- 9z Team (South American Qualifier): dgt, max, dav1deuS, buda, try
- Rooster (Oceanic Qualifier): asap, ADK, nettik, chelleos, TjP
ESL Pro League Season 18: Playoffs Schedule
All match times will be in BST, and match winners will be in bold. Keep checking back to see how your favorite teams are doing!
Qualified Teams from Group Stage:
- Astralis
- FURIA Esports
- Team Vitality
- Movistar Riders
- ENCE
- BIG
- MOUZ
- Monte
- Natus Vincere
- FaZe Clan
- Fnatic
- 9z Team
- G2 Esports
- Complexity Gaming
- Virtus.pro
- Eternal Fire
September 26 (Round of 16)
- 2:30 PM: Fnatic v Monte
- 2:30 PM: Astralis v Eternal Fire
- 6:00 PM: 9z Team v Virtus.pro
- 6:00 PM: MOUZ v FURIA Esports
September 27 (Round of 12)
- 2:30 PM: Complexity Gaming v Monte
- 2:30 PM: BIG v Eternal Fire
- 6:00 PM: Movistar Riders v 9z Team
- 6:00 PM: FaZe Clan v MOUZ
September 28 (Quarterfinals)
- 2:30 PM: Team Vitality v Monte
- 6:00: Natus Vincere v Eternal Fire
September 29 (Quarterfinals)
- 2:30 PM: ENCE v Movistar Riders7
- 6:00 PM: G2 Esports v MOUZ
September 30 (Semifinals)
- 2:30 PM: Monte v Natus Vincere
- 6:00 PM: MOUZ v ENCE
October 1 (Grand Final)
- 3:00 PM: MOUZ v Natus Vincere
ESL Pro League Season 18: Venue & Streams
The ESL Pro League Season 18 Grand Final will be hosted in the heart of St. Julians, Malta, at the grand InterContinental Malta hotel. This luxurious venue has the capacity for audiences to watch live events and then enjoy some rest and relaxation after the spectacle.
CS:GO fans can purchase one-day tickets for 10 euros or a three-day access encompassing the entire finals for 25 euros on the ESL Gaming website. Grab your tickets now, as the event is set to be small and intimate, with limited spaces available!
Don't worry if you can't make it to Malta! There will be primary and secondary live streams on the official ESL Gaming YouTube and Twitch channels for fans to enjoy. For reader convenience, we have embedded the English primary Twitch channel below.
Primary and secondary streams are also available for different regions like China, Spain, and France.
| Place | Team | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | MOUZ | $200,000, 3,000 BLAST Premier Points, IEM Katowice 2024 and BLAST World Final 2023 qualifications. |
| 2nd | Natus Vincere | $90,000 and 2,000 BLAST Premier points. |
| 3rd-4th | Monte, ENCE | $50,000 and 1,200 BLAST Premier points. |
| 5th-8th | Team Vitality, Eternal Fire, Movistar Riders, G2 Esports | $35,000 and 500 BLAST Premier points. |
| 9th-12th | Complexity Gaming, BIG, 9z Team, FaZe Clan | $25,000 |
| 13th-16th | Fnatic, Astralis, Virtus.pro, FURIA Esports | $20,000 |
| 17th-20th | MIBR, GamerLegion, 5yclone | $15,000 |
| 21st-28th | Minjas in Pyjamas, Grayhound Gaming, Heroic, Evil Geniuses, Imperial Esports, Apeks | $8,000 |
| 29th-32nd | ORKS, Rooster, M80 | $4,000 |
Final Thoughts
That's all our current information on ESL Pro League Season 18. Bookmark this page and check back to see the current standings, upcoming matches, and match results here with Rivalry.
We now offer Same Game Parlays on ESL Pro League matches, so put that big brain energy into your betting slip and wrap up those combos! We will also have a dedicated ESL Pro League Season 18 betting guide ready before the competition begins.
Want more CS:GO content? Check out the best crosshair settings, all CS:GO ranks, and the new changes coming to Counter-Strike 2, including responsive smoke grenades and an improved tick-rate system!
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