The first stage of the ESL Pro League's 23rd season has already come to a close and building upon what we reported yesterday, we can now add that eight teams have been knocked out of the event and will not be appearing any further.
The eight squads who have survived the first stage have been confirmed, with 3DMax, G2 Esports, and Heroic joining the teams we knew about as of yesterday. These qualified rosters came at the cost of Ninjas in Pyjamas, Team Liquid, and Parivision, three teams who have been eliminated for good.
This also means that we now know the 16 teams who will be present in the second stage of the tournament and likewise what the opening round matches look like. It's worth mentioning that the format is the same, meaning teams will be seeded on a round-by-round basis and the first eight teams to notch up three wins will advance to the third stage known as the playoffs. Here are the initial fixtures.
- Furia vs. B8
- Team Spirit vs. 3DMax
- Mouz vs. Heroic
- Natus Vincere vs. Monte
- The MongolZ vs. PaiN Gaming
- Aurora Gaming vs. Legacy
- FUT Esports vs. Astralis
- G2 Esports vs. FaZe Clan
Who do you think will advance past Stage 2?
