Tournament organizer ESL, an official partner of the international brand 1xBet, hosts two prestigious Tier-1 CS2 tournament series: ESL Pro League and Intel Extreme Masters. Beyond prestige and VRS ranking points, teams competing in these events chase the ultimate prize—$1,000,000 from the ESL Grand Slam. That is why all the top teams in the world never miss ESL tournaments.

Quarterfinals

Seven of the eight teams that received invites to the second stage of the group tournament advanced to the ESL Pro League Season 21 playoffs. The only exception was Team Falcons, which lost its decisive match against Eternal Fire.

However, the Turkish team could not build on this success and was eliminated in the quarterfinals by Team Spirit (2-1). In the next quarterfinal matchup, MOUZ beat G2 Esports (2-1), while Team Vitality emerged victorious over Team Liquid (2-0).

But the real celebration for all Mongolian esports fans came in the match between The MongolZ and NAVI. According to Valve’s rankings, the third-best team in the world (The MongolZ) faced the ninth-ranked team (NAVI). Yet, all betting platforms, including 1xBet Монголоос, favored the more experienced Natus Vincere.

The match began on Mirage with NAVI taking a 4-0 lead. Feeling confident, they even started smiling, believing the victory was already secured. However, thanks to an outstanding performance by Sodbayar “Techno4K” Munkhbold, who secured 22 kills, the Mongolian squad turned the game around. The first half ended 7-5 in favor of The MongolZ, and in the second one, NAVI managed to win only one more round, ultimately losing 13-6.

On the second map, Ancient, NAVI had no time for laughter. They won the pistol round but then started losing and getting nervous. The MongolZ, an official partner of the betting company 1xBet, confidently closed the first half (9-3) and took the entire map with a score of 13-6. The standout player was 17-year-old Ayush “mzinho” Batbold, who delivered 23 kills with just 10 deaths and an impressive 1.97 rating. As a result, the Mongolian squad pulled off a true sensation, eliminating the reigning ESL Pro League Season champions!

Semifinals

Both semifinals ended with a 2-1 score, meaning neither title contender had an easy path to the final. In the first clash, MOUZ put in a massive effort to take their map pick, Nuke (16-4), but lost on Team Spirit’s choice, Dust2 (7-13), however, they secured victory on the decider, Ancient (13-10).

In the second semifinal, tournament favorites Team Vitality faced The MongolZ. The French team easily won Anubis comfortably (13-4), but on Nuke, the Mongolian squad put up a strong fight, winning six rounds in a row at the start. The game went to overtime, where The MongolZ clinched a 16-14 victory.

Unfortunately for 1xBet Монголоос customers, their hometown heroes completely collapsed on Inferno, losing 13-2. The mastermind behind this destruction was Shahar “flameZ” Shushan, who recorded a K/D of 22/6 and an incredible rating of 2.37!

Final

By the semifinals, it was clear that Team Vitality was in top form, and MOUZ would struggle to put up a fight against the French squad. That is exactly what happened, as the final lasted just three maps: Dust2 (13-9), Nuke (13-4), and Inferno (13-5). Each game followed the same pattern – Team Vitality dominated the first half (9-3) and then efficiently closed out the win.

Victory at ESL Pro League Season 21 earned Team Vitality a prestigious title, $250,000 in prize money, and the top spot in the global Valve rankings, previously held by Team Spirit. Additionally, the team’s sniper, Mathieu “ZywOo” Herbaut, secured his 22nd MVP title at major tournaments, surpassing the previous record holder, Oleksandr “s1mple” Kostyljev from NAVI.

The next major tournament featuring The MongolZ will be BLAST Open Spring 2025 (March 19-30). Be sure to support your hometown heroes by placing bets on their victory on the 1xBet Mongolia platform!