The ESL Pro League is widely regarded as one of the most significant esports tournaments in the world of Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO). With the beginning of Season 17 on February 22, the tournament introduced a new format, featuring 32 teams battling it out for a prize pool of $850,000 and a coveted spot in both IEM Cologne 2023 and BLAST Premier World Final 2023.
The Group Stage concluded on March 19, with the top 16 teams advancing to the Playoffs. The Quarterfinals will feature Heroic, forZe, Cloud9, and Team Vitality, while Outsiders, FaZe Clan, MOUZ, and ENCE made it to the Round of 12. The remaining teams that made it to the Round of 16 are Natus Vincere, 00 Nation, FURIA Esports, Fnatic, paiN Gaming, Team Liquid, G2 Esports, and Movistar Riders.
New Format
Season 17 of the ESL Pro League featured 32 CS:GO teams from various regions, including Europe, North America, South America, Asia, and Oceania. The new format started with four groups of eight teams each, with a triple-elimination bracket determining the four teams that would advance from each group to the playoffs. The best teams from each group advanced directly to the Quarterfinals, while the second-best teams went to the Round of 12 and the third and fourth-placed teams made it to the Round of 16.
Prize Distribution
The 16 teams that made it to the Playoffs will compete for a share of the $850,000 prize pool, with the winning team taking home $200,000, 3,000 BLAST Premier Points, and a spot in both IEM Cologne 2023 and the BLAST World Final.
Qualified Teams
The teams that have qualified for the playoffs are:
- Heroic
- forZe
- Cloud9
- Team Vitality
- Outsiders
- FaZe Clan
- MOUZ
- ENCE
- Natus Vincere
- 00 Nation
- FURIA Esports
- Fnatic
- paiN Gaming
- Team Liquid
- G2 Esports
- Movistar Riders
ESL Pro League Season 17 Playoff Schedule
The playoff matches will take place on March 21 and 22, with the following matchups:
Tuesday, March 21
- 9:30 am: NAVI vs. 00 Nation
- 9:30 am: Fnatic vs. FURIA
- 1 pm: Liquid vs. paiN
1 pm: G2 vs. Movistar Riders
- Wednesday, March 22
- 9:30 am: Outsiders vs. NAVI/00 Nation winner
- 9:30 am: FaZe vs. Fnatic/FURIA winner
- 1 pm: MOUZ vs. Liquid/paiN winner
- 1 pm: ENCE vs. G2/Movistar Riders winner
All times are listed in Central Time and are subject to change.
How to Watch ESL Pro League Season 17
You can watch the ESL Pro League Season 17 on ESL’s official channels on Twitch and YouTube. Some community figures, such as Gaules, may also be live streaming some of the games on their channels. Additionally, since multiple matches will be played simultaneously during the Group Stage, it is recommended to follow ESL’s B channels on Twitch to catch all the action.
