ESL Pro League S22: 24 Top Teams Set for Malta Showdown

by Gocsgo

ESL Pro League S22 full list announced

On July 8, 2025, ESL officially released the full list of participants and groupings for the 22nd season of “ESL Pro League” (abbreviated as EPL S22). This one of the most influential CS2 professional leagues in the world will hold offline competitions in Malta from September 3 to 29, 2025, when 24 world-class teams will compete for a $500,000 prize and valuable EPL points and ESL event system qualifications. Malta war reignites, 24 strong teams aim for the championship.

This season’s team composition continues to use the “12+12” model: 12 ESL partner teams automatically receive direct invitations, and the remaining 12 advance through the ESL Challenger track, regional points rankings and other related events.

List of participating teams

Stage2

The strong will always be strong, and newcomers will enter the game.

ESL Partner Teams:

These teams automatically receive participation because they have a long-term cooperation agreement with ESL. Including:

NAVI

FaZe

Vitality

G2

MOUZ

Heroic

Complexity

ENCE

FURIA

NIP

BIG

Astralis

Non-cooperative teams (Qualifier Teams):

The 12 teams that emerged through various paths are as follows:

Virtus.pro (ESL Challenger Katowice champion)

SAW (ESL Challenger Jönköping champion)

FlyQuest (highest points in North America)

The MongolZ (highest points in Asia)

9z Team (highest points in South America)

3DMAX (European points qualification)

FORZE

BetBoom

PERA Esports

Eternal Fire

M80

Aurora Gaming

As many as 7 non-cooperative teams in this competition have qualified for the EPL main event for the first time, showing the vitality of the regional CS ecosystem, especially the increasingly fierce competition in the Asia-Pacific and CIS regions.

stage1

Group structure and competition system changes

The teams will be divided into four groups (Group A to D), with 6 teams in each group, using a double elimination system (GSL format). The top three teams in each group will advance to the knockout stage:

The first place will directly advance to the quarterfinals;

The second and third places will enter the first knockout round (Round of 12).

ESL has not yet announced the specific group list, but according to tradition, the group will be based on the HLTV world ranking and regional balance factors.

The total prize pool is $500,000, and the champion will receive $200,000, ESL Pro Tour points and a direct invitation to IEM Katowice 2026.

Highlights

The strong teams gather again, can the newcomers disrupt the situation?

FaZe vs Vitality meet again?

As the champions and runners-up of the previous seasons of EPL, FaZe and Vitality are very interesting every time they compete. The duel between ZywOo and broky is still the core focus.

The collective rise of new Eastern European forces

Teams representing Eastern European forces such as Aurora, BetBoom, and FORZE have entered the main competition. Whether the EPL pattern will change in the future remains unknown.

Will The MongolZ continue to write the dark horse myth?

Since IEM Chengdu in 2024, the Mongolian team The MongolZ has defeated the top European teams many times. Its performance in S22 will determine the international status of Asia-Pacific CS2.

The competition system is stable and the viewing experience is improved

The continued GSL group double elimination system and BO3 game setting allow the audience to see more strong dialogues and avoid the upset of “one round tour”.

Key time points

Group stage: September 3 – 16, 2025

Knockout stage: September 22 – 29, 2025

Event location: Hotel Inter Continental, Malta (offline LAN event)

Conclusion

The collision of the old and the new, another milestone in the new era of CS2.

ESL Pro League S22 is one of the most important CS2 events in the second half of 2025. It will not only affect the global team rankings at the end of the year, but also indicate which teams have the strength to impact IEM Katowice and Major events. With the rise of non-cooperative teams and the development of diversified regions, the EPL stage will be more diverse and full of variables.

Fans can watch the live broadcast of the event through the official ESL Twitch channel, YouTube and related live broadcast platforms. Lock in September and let us witness who will win the championship in Malta.

If you want to have a great gaming experience before watching the game, you can’t do without a good set of equipment. You can choose to buy it on the official platform, but you can also choose the correct platform for opening case.

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