The ESL Pro League Season 21 tournament has reached the playoff stage – eight of the strongest participants out of 24 remain in the ranks. For the final part of the ESL Pro League Season 21, eSports experts from the 1xBet have prepared a forecast for the winner of the tournament.

What is important about ESL Pro League Season 21

ESL Pro League Season 21 is one of the most prestigious S-Tier Tournaments in Counter-Strike 2 for several reasons. The first tournament of the series took place 10 years ago, which makes ESL Pro League one of the most famous and popular competitions in the history of esports.

Along with the Intel Extreme Masters tournaments, this series is part of the Intel Grand Slam, which has a $1,000,000 prize pool for winning four tournaments. Successful performance brings not only prize money, but also an increase in Valve’s rating, which is extremely important for invitations to subsequent competitions.

ESL Pro League Season 21 format and prize money

The tournament take place from March 1 to 16, 2025 at the ESL Studio in Stockholm, Sweden, with the support of Intel, DHL, 1xBet and other famous international brands. For 1xBet, the partnership with ESL is extremely important, as it allows for the effective popularization and support of esports development around the world.

The first stage, which took place from March 1 to 5, featured 16 teams playing Bo3 Swiss matches to determine the top 8 participants. The second stage, which took place from March 7 to 11, featured the top 8 teams from the first stage and the 8 teams that received direct invitations to the second stage, based on the Valve global rankings as of 01/06/2025. All 16 participants in the second stage have already played Bo3 Swiss matches to determine the 8 playoff participants.

The most interesting part will start at the Playoffs stage, scheduled for March 13-16. The matches will be held in a single-elimination bracket format, which leaves no room for error: every defeat leads to elimination.

The total prize pool for ESL Pro League Season 21 is $1,000,000, of which $400,000 will go to team players and another $600,000 to clubs. For example, the distribution of prize money among the tournament finalists looks like this:

• 1st place: $100,000 to players + $150,000 to the club = $250,000
• 2nd place: $50,000 to players + $75,000 to the club = $125,000
• 3rd-4th place: $25,000 to players + $55,000 to the club = $80,000
• 5th-8th place: $18,000 to players + $40,000 to the club = $58,000

Players from all 24 participating teams will receive prize money, but only the 14 best teams can count on payments to their clubs.

ESL Pro League Season 21 participants and favorites

The ESL Pro League Season 21 will feature 24 teams. The eight teams with the highest Valve ratings will start in the second stage:

1. G2 Esports
2. Team Spirit
3. The MongolZ
4. Team Vitality
5. MOUZ
6. NAVI
7. Team Falcons
8. Team Liquid.

The only team from the top 8 of the Valve rating that declined the invitation was FaZe Clan. They had a very tough Playoffs in PGL Cluj-Napoca 2025, lost two important matches, and decided to take a short break. We should also note that the 1xBet Mongolia platform is probably pleased to see their team in the company of the strongest teams.

Another 16 teams start the tournament from the first stage. The selection of these teams was based on the Valve rating and the performance results in international ESL Challenger tournaments and regional ESL Challenger League Season 48.

This list includes: FURIA, 3DMAX, Eternal Fire, GamerLegion, FlyQuest, SAW, HEROIC, Nemiga Gaming, M80, NRG, TYLOO, Lynn Vision, paiN Gaming, MIBR, Mindfreak and Housebets.

Even before the start of the first stage, it was clear that for most of these teams, reaching the second stage will be a success, so the main contenders for tournament victory should be considered among the eight favorites with the highest ratings.

In the end, this turned out to be the case. GamerLegion, SAW, 3DMAX, Eternal Fire, MIBR, FURIA, paiN Gaming and TYLOO advanced from the first stage to the second. But only one team, Eternal Fire, made it to the Playoffs, having managed to beat Falcons in the decisive match of the second stage.

Before the start of the Playoffs, the teams with the greatest chances of winning the tournament are Team Vitality, Natus Vincere, MOUZ and Team Spirit. Judging by their current form, they should easily defeat their opponents in the quarterfinals and move on to determining the strongest team of the entire tournament.

Follow the ESL Pro League Season 21 tournament on the 1xBet Монгол platform and don’t miss the opportunity to support your home team The MongolZ!