The ESL Pro League Season 21 Play-In is about to start in Stockholm on March 1, 2025, and will run until March 5, 2025. This first stage will determine eight teams that will move to the second stage, where they will join eight teams that were directly invited based on the Valve rankings.
One of the biggest updates is that FaZe Clan has withdrawn from the tournament. As a result, Team Liquid has taken their spot in the second stage.
The total prize pool for ESL Pro League Season 21 is $1,000,000. However, the money is split between players ($400,000) and organizations ($600,000).
Tournament format
Stage 1 (March 1-5)
- 16 teams
- Swiss system (teams need three wins to qualify, three losses to be eliminated)
- Best-of-three (Bo3) matches
- Top 8 teams move to Stage 2
Stage 2 (March 7-16)
- 16 teams (8 invited + 8 from Stage 1)
- Swiss system
- Bo3 matches
- Top 8 teams move to Playoffs
Playoffs
- Single-elimination bracket
- Quarterfinals & Semifinals are Bo3
- Grand Final is Bo5
ESL Pro League Season 21 – How teams were seeded
For Stage 1 of ESL Pro League Season 21, teams ranked each other using Team Selected Seeding. Each team had to rank the other 15 teams, with Seed #1 being the strongest and Seed #15 the weakest.
Teams could not rank themselves, and every ranking had to be unique. To keep things fair, votes that were too different from the average were removed. If two teams had the same score, a coin flip decided their final seed.
This method helps create fair matchups and ensures teams face opponents of similar skill levels.
First round matchups
Here are the opening matches for Stage 1:
- Eternal Fire vs. Mindfreak
- M80 vs. FlyQuest
- HEROIC vs. SAW
- 3DMAX vs. TYLOO
- FURIA vs. Lynn Vision
- MIBR vs. Nemiga
- GamerLegion vs. NRG
- paiN vs. Housebets
Teams to watch
The underdogs (Low chances to qualify)
Another struggling team is TYLOO. Even in China, this team is not dominant anymore. Their local rivals, Lynn Vision, have been performing much better and even qualified for IEM Dallas 2025. In contrast, TYLOO finished last in two closed qualifiers and showed no real progress.
The rising teams (Potential surprises)
One of the most interesting teams to watch is NRG. They are currently one of the best teams in North America and are in great form. They won the NA CCT event, dominated in ESL Challenger League, and even qualified for IEM Dallas.
Another team to watch is M80. Unfortunately, they started 2025 with a stand-in, as their player Ethan "reck" Serrano broke his leg and couldn’t travel. Despite this, they qualified for BLAST Open Lisbon 2025, giving them a big confidence boost.
We also need to mention FlyQuest. They had a terrible run at PGL Cluj-Napoca 2025, but they still have potential. The same can be said for Nemiga and MIBR. MIBR recently changed their IGL after benching André "drop" Abreu, while Nemiga has been very inconsistent in online events.
SAW’s big roster move
This is a risky but exciting move. Their last tournament (PGL Cluj-Napoca 2025) was a big success for them, finishing in the top 8. Now ranked 19th in the Valve ranking, they have some breathing room to adjust their new lineup and compete at a high level.
HEROIC’s rebuild
This event will be a key test for them. Their star player Alvaro "SunPayus" Garcia will need to carry the team, and this tournament will show whether HEROIC is finally on the right track.
FURIA and GamerLegion – The mystery teams
Both FURIA and GamerLegion skipped PGL Cluj-Napoca 2025, meaning we haven’t seen them play for almost a month. Their last event was IEM Katowice 2025, where GamerLegion looked solid, while FURIA struggled.
Now, both teams will finally return to LAN. GamerLegion at least played some European qualifiers, winning their IEM Dallas qualifier, but failing to make BLAST Open Lisbon.
FURIA, on the other hand, has been completely absent. This tournament will show if they used their break wisely or if they will continue to struggle and make a decision to replace Marcelo "chelo" Cespede as we suggested in the recent article.
The favorites to qualify
The three strongest teams in this stage should be:
- Eternal Fire
- paiN
- 3DMAX
All three of these teams are in great shape. Eternal Fire and paiN both made the playoffs at PGL Cluj-Napoca, while 3DMAX was one match away. These three teams should comfortably qualify unless they underperform.
For 3DMAX, things might be a little harder, but given the weak level of some other teams, they should have a clear path to the next stage.
What comes next?
The second stage of ESL Pro League will begin on March 7 and run until March 16. Here, the 8 best teams from Stage 1 will meet 8 invited teams and fight for a spot in the playoffs.
ESL Pro League Season 21 starts March 1, bringing a mix of strong favorites, rising teams, and big question marks. Some teams like Eternal Fire, paiN, and 3DMAX should qualify easily, while others like FURIA, GamerLegion, and HEROIC will try to prove themselves.
This first stage will be an important test for teams like NRG, M80, and SAW, who are still finding their place in the international scene.
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