Final Results of ESL Pro League Season 21 – Stage 1

<h2>Out of 16 participating teams, exactly half advanced to the next stage.</h2><h4>Teams Advancing to Stage 2</h4><p>SAW and GamerLegion dominated their matches and secured a 3-0 record, advancing without significant resistance.</p><p>The next wave of Stage 1 winners includes Eternal Fire, 3DMAX, and MIBR, who also performed strongly.</p><p>The final three teams to secure their spots in Stage 2 were FURIA, TYLOO, and paiN Gaming. All three played full best-of-three series in their decisive matches:</p><ol><li>FURIA overcame M80, thanks in large part to the outstanding performances of Kaike "<a href="/en/players/kscerato" target="_self"><a href="/en/players/kscerato" target="_self">KSCERATO</a></a>" Cerato and Felipe "<a href="/en/players/skullz" target="_self"><a href="/en/players/skullz" target="_self">skullz</a></a>" Medeiros.</li><li>TYLOO lost their first map against FlyQuest, but fought back to win the next two, eliminating their opponents.</li><li>paiN Gaming struggled against Nemiga on Train but managed to take the remaining maps to secure their qualification.</li></ol><h4>Teams Eliminated from the Tournament</h4><p>Mindfreak and Housebets were the first teams to be eliminated, finishing with a 0-3 record.</p><p>NRG, Lynn Vision, and HEROIC followed, exiting with a 1-3 scoreline.</p><p>FlyQuest, M80, and Nemiga were just one win away from advancing but fell short in their final matches.</p><h4>What’s Next?</h4><p>In Stage 2, the qualified teams will face even tougher opponents as Spirit, Vitality, NaVi, G2, The MongolZ, MOUZ, Falcons, and Liquid join the competition.</p><p>Expect even more thrilling matches ahead!</p>

First teams eliminated from Stage 1 of ESL Pro League Season 21

<h2>SAW and GamerLegion advanced to the next stage, while Mindfreak and Housebets finished with a 0-3 record.</h2><p>SAW, after replacing two players right before the tournament started, did not inspire confidence among fans, but they managed to surprise everyone by defeating HEROIC, FURIA, and M80. All three matches were hard-fought, going to the full three maps. With these victories, the team secured a spot in the next stage, where the world's top teams await them.</p><p>GamerLegion finalized their roster at the beginning of the year, and with the addition of&nbsp;<a href="/en/players/rez" target="_self">REZ</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="/en/players/pr" target="_self">PR</a>, they have been delivering solid results. The team's 'newcomers' have been making a big impact on many maps, showing confident gameplay. However, they couldn't have done it without their teammates' support. For example, in their final match against TYLOO, Sebastian '<a href="/en/players/tauson" target="_self">Tauson</a>' Tauson Lindelof and Erik '<a href="/en/players/ztr" target="_self">ztr</a>' Gustafsson secured the most frags for their team, helping them win 13-11, achieving the coveted 3-0 record, and moving on to the next stage.</p><p>Mindfreak and Housebets, despite their coordinated play, were unprepared for the tournament and failed to win a single map in their three matches.</p><p>Next up, in elimination matches with a 1-2 record, are FURIA, HEROIC, paiN, Nemiga, NRG, and Lynn Vision.</p>

Unexpected outcomes of the first day of ESL Pro League Season 21 Stage 1

<h2>Results of the first matchday in Stage 1</h2><p>A total of 8 matches were played, most of which ended in confident victories for the favorites. However, two matches stood out, where the underdogs managed to surprise.</p><h4>3DMAX vs TYLOO</h4><p>The French roster has shown inconsistent performances in 2025, but compared to the Chinese team TYLOO, they were considered clear favorites. However, when facing off, things turned out to be far from straightforward. TYLOO first secured a hard-fought victory on their own map pick and then dominated their opponent’s choice, giving up only 5 rounds and closing the series 2-0. Across both maps and the entire match, the MVP was Chinese player Yi "<a href="/en/players/jamyoung" target="_self"><a href="/en/players/jamyoung" target="_self">JamYoung</a></a>" Yang, who finished with a KD of 43-23 and a rating of 1.76.</p><h4>HEROIC vs SAW</h4><p>Both teams recently updated their rosters, but SAW announced their changes much later. Replacing&nbsp;<a href="/en/players/roman" target="_self"><a href="/en/players/roman" target="_self">roman</a></a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="/en/players/shr" target="_self"><a href="/en/players/shr" target="_self">Shr</a></a>, new players Oscar "<a href="/en/players/azuwu" target="_self"><a href="/en/players/azuwu" target="_self">AZUWU</a></a>" Bell and Jan "<a href="/en/players/cej0t" target="_self"><a href="/en/players/cej0t" target="_self">cej0t</a></a>" Dyl, who previously played for Endpoint, joined the squad. Despite the efforts of HEROIC’s rising talent, Andrei "<a href="/en/players/tn1r" target="_self"><a href="/en/players/tn1r" target="_self">tN1R</a></a>" Tatarinovich, SAW proved to be the stronger team across three maps. The best player of the match was André "Ag1l" Gil, who finished with a KD of 53-35 and a rating of 1.30.</p>

Asian team JiJieHao signs BOROS

<h2>The Jordanian rifler has found a new team after several months of searching.</h2><p>JiJieHao has officially signed former Monte and Falcons player Mohammad "<a href="/en/players/boros" target="_self">BOROS</a>" Malhas, as the Chinese organization announced on Monday.</p><p>The 20-year-old player joined the team on a permanent basis after standing in for them last week in a match against SINNERS (0-2) in the ESL Challenger League. He will replace his compatriot, Issa "<a href="/en/players/issaa" target="_self">ISSAA</a>" Murad, who has been moved to the bench.</p><p>In his post on X, ISSAA stated that he is ready to take on the in-game leader (IGL) role. "I am very motivated for the next step. I want to give my all to play at the highest level," he wrote.</p><p>BOROS had been searching for a new team since October when he left Into the Breach after spending two months on the bench. He played only 41 days as part of the main lineup before being replaced by Hristiyan "<a href="/en/players/redstar" target="_self">REDSTAR</a>" Pironkov. On social media, he admitted he was "glad" to experience being benched for the first time in his career.</p><p>In their statement, JiJieHao explained that the roster changes aim to strengthen the team and unlock its full potential. So far, the team has not secured a single victory in the ESL Challenger League and was eliminated from the BLAST Rising Asia closed qualifier, finishing in 9-12th place after losses to Rare Atom and Fated Rise. It is also worth noting that since August 2024, one of the legendary Danish CS players, Markus "<a href="/en/players/kjaerbye" target="_self">Kjaerbye</a>" Kjærbye, has been on JiJieHao’s bench.</p><p>The updated JiJieHao roster will debut at the MENA Closed Qualifier for the MESA Asian Masters—a studio tournament in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. This event will serve as a qualifier for PGL Bucharest 2025.</p>

MOUZ won PGL Cluj-Napoca 2025

<h2>In the final, MOUZ faced Falcons with NiKo in a BO5 match.</h2><p>In the semifinal against Astralis, thanks to a combination of good fortune and smart decisions, MOUZ managed to secure the victory despite the efforts of Astralis player Viktor "<a href="/en/players/staehr" target="_self">Staehr</a>" Staehr on the last map.</p><p>Falcons, on the other hand, claimed a confident 2-0 victory against FaZe Clan.</p><p>The final was played in a BO5 format, with the following map selection - Dust2, Mirage, Nuke, Ancient, and Train.</p><p>Despite the map picks, the first three maps went to their opponents. The fourth map became the turning point, as on Ancient, MOUZ regrouped and, after winning Nuke 13-11, decided not to allow Train, which had only recently been added to the map pool and could be unpredictable.</p>

Astralis took 3rd place at PGL Cluj-Napoca 2025

<h2>In a hard-fought battle against FaZe Clan, the Danish team managed to secure victory.</h2><p>After Astralis lost 1-2 to MOUZ in the semifinals and FaZe fell 0-2 to Falcons, they were destined to meet in the third-place match. Given Astralis' inconsistent performance, FaZe were considered the favorites, but things did not go as planned.</p><p>The first map of the match was&nbsp;<a href="/en/wiki/overview-map-mirage/" target="_self">Mirage</a>, picked by FaZe. At one point, Astralis led 12-8, but, not for the first time, they failed to close out the game in regulation, forcing the match into overtime. After four overtime phases, FaZe secured victory with a 28-24 scoreline.</p><p>The second map was&nbsp;<a href="/en/wiki/overview-map-inferno/" target="_self">Inferno</a>, which is currently considered one of Astralis' strongest maps. Finishing the first half with a 9-3 lead on the T-side, they confidently closed out the game 13-8.</p><p>Predicting the outcome of the third and deciding map,&nbsp;<a href="/en/wiki/overview-map-ancient/" target="_self">Ancient</a>, was difficult, as both teams had shown inconsistent performances. After a tough fight, the map ended 13-9 in favor of Astralis, securing their third-place finish at the tournament.</p><p>The MVP of the match was 21-year-old Jakob "<a href="/en/players/jabbi" target="_self">jabbi</a>" Nygaard, who finished with an 82-55 KDA and a 1.28 rating.</p>

The final playoff participants of PGL Cluj-Napoca 2025 have been determined

<h2>The last matches took place between teams that were in the 2-2 bracket and managed to seize their chances to advance to the playoffs.</h2><p>On the final day of play before the playoffs began, the following matchups took place: Astralis vs. BIG, SAW vs. 3DMAX, and MOUZ vs. Virtus.pro. Let's take a closer look at each of them:</p><ol><li>In the match between Astralis and BIG, the favorite was the team led by Casper "<a href="/en/players/cadian" target="_self"><a href="/en/players/cadian" target="_self">cadiaN</a></a>," albeit with a slight advantage. The match ended in two maps, despite&nbsp;<a href="/en/wiki/overview-map-ancient" target="_self">Ancient</a>&nbsp;being the first pick—a map where BIG is considered extremely strong. The first map ended with a score of 13-7, and the second map,&nbsp;<a href="/en/wiki/overview-map-inferno" target="_self"><a href="/en/wiki/overview-map-inferno" target="_self">Inferno</a></a>, finished 13-8, both in favor of Astralis, securing their spot in the playoffs. The standout players were Martin "<a href="/en/players/stavn" target="_self"><a href="/en/players/stavn" target="_self">stavn</a></a>" Lund and Nicolai "<a href="/en/players/device" target="_self"><a href="/en/players/device" target="_self">device</a></a>" Reedtz, who finished with KDA +14 and ratings of 1.44 and 1.26, respectively.</li><li>The match between 3DMAX and SAW was perhaps the most unpredictable in terms of results, as the French lineup had been showing more consistent performance throughout the tournament. Meanwhile, the Portuguese team had announced just before the tournament that two players,&nbsp;<a href="/en/players/roman" target="_self"><a href="/en/players/roman" target="_self">roman</a></a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="/en/players/shr" target="_self"><a href="/en/players/shr" target="_self">shr</a></a>, would leave the roster after the event. However, contrary to expectations, SAW won 2-0, even though the second map was&nbsp;<a href="/en/wiki/overview-map-dust2" target="_self"><a href="/en/wiki/overview-map-dust2" target="_self">Dust2</a></a>—considered the strongest map for the French team.</li><li>The final and most exciting match was between MOUZ and Virtus.pro, where all three maps were played. Despite the battle, the last map,&nbsp;<a href="/en/wiki/overview-map-mirage" target="_self"><a href="/en/wiki/overview-map-mirage" target="_self">Mirage</a></a>, ended with a dominant 13-2 scoreline.</li></ol><p>The quarterfinal matchups are as follows: paiN vs. MOUZ, The MongolZ vs. Astralis, Falcons vs. Eternal Fire, and FaZe Clan vs. SAW.</p>

Results of the fourth matchday of PGL Cluj-Napoca 2025

<h2>PGL Cluj-Napoca 2025: The teams advancing to the playoffs with a 3-1 record have been determined, while some teams exit the tournament with a 1-3 score.</h2><p>The fourth matchday of PGL Cluj-Napoca 2025 has concluded, and the teams that secured a playoff spot with a 3-1 record are now known. At the same time, for some teams, this was their final day in the tournament, as they finished with a 1-3 record.</p><h4>Teams advancing to the playoffs (3-1):</h4><ul><li>Eternal Fire</li><li>Falcons</li><li>paiN</li></ul><p>These teams demonstrated consistent performance in the Swiss system and deservedly advance to the playoff stage, where they will continue their fight for the championship title. Two out of the three advancing teams played hard-fought matches, winning 2-1. Falcons faced MOUZ, who have been struggling with their team coordination since replacing&nbsp;<a href="/en/players/siuhy" target="_self">siuhy</a>&nbsp;with&nbsp;<a href="/en/players/spinx" target="_self">Spinx</a>, ultimately dropping to the 2-2 bracket. Eternal Fire played a three-map series against 3DMAX, where despite the efforts of the French players&nbsp;<a href="/en/players/maka" target="_self">Maka</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="/en/players/lucky" target="_self">Lucky</a>, the Turkish squad triumphed, led by standout performer Samet "<a href="/en/players/jottaaa" target="_self">jottAAA</a>" Koklu. The paiN vs. VP match, contrary to expectations, was one-sided, ending in a 2-0 victory for the Brazilian squad.</p><h4>Teams eliminated from the tournament (1-3):</h4><ul><li>MIBR</li><li>WildCard</li><li>Complexity</li></ul><p>Unfortunately, these teams could not overcome their opponents. Their tournament run has ended, but they still provided fans with exciting moments and intense matches.</p><h2>The main intrigue: decisive 2-2 matches</h2><p>Up next are the most crucial games for teams with a 2-2 record. These teams will play decisive matches for a playoff spot, where everything is on the line—win and move forward, lose and go home.</p>

First 3-0 and 0-3 Results at PGL Cluj-Napoca 2025

<h2>FaZe Clan and The MongolZ were the first to advance to the tournament playoffs without losing a single match.</h2><p>In the first three days of the tournament, there were no major upsets, and the clear favorites, whose&nbsp;<a href="/en/configs" target="_self">CS2 configs</a>&nbsp;have been very popular lately, secured victories in their matches with a score of 2-0. Where teams were evenly matched, the competition was tougher, leading to best-of-three games.</p><h4>Teams with a 3-0 record</h4><p>FaZe Clan secured victories over SAW, Eternal Fire, and MouZ, dropping only one map across three matches.</p><p>The MongolZ, on the other hand, defeated Complexity and WildCard with a 2-0 score in both matches. They then faced a tense game against paiN, winning 2-1 to secure their playoff spot.</p><h4>Teams with a 0-3 record</h4><p>The first team eliminated from the tournament was the women's squad Imperial Valkyries. Since their debut at top-tier tournaments, they have yet to win a single map against male teams, despite competing with a full roster—unlike in the previous event, where Victoria "<a href="/en/players/tory" target="_self">tory</a>" Kazieva was absent.</p><p>The next team to be eliminated was FlyQuest. Despite their roster update and the addition of Julian "<a href="/en/players/regali" target="_self">regali</a>" Harjău replacing&nbsp;<a href="/en/players/alistair" target="_self">aliStair</a>, they failed to deliver a strong performance.</p><p>Next, elimination matches will feature teams with a 1-2 record: WildCard vs. BIG, Astralis vs. MIBR, Complexity vs. SAW. The winners of these matchups will have a chance to fight for a playoff spot in the next round.</p>

The PGL Cluj-Napoca 2025 Tournament Starts on February 14

<h2>The Tournament Will Be Held in a Swiss-System Format, with 16 Teams from Different Regions Competing.</h2><p>The teams will compete in the Romanian city of Cluj-Napoca, which has hosted similar events multiple times.</p><p>The participating teams will be:</p><ul><li>The MongolZ</li><li>FaZe Clan</li><li>Eternal Fire</li><li>Falcons</li><li>MOUZ</li><li>Virtus.pro</li><li>3DMAX</li><li>Astralis</li><li>paiN Gaming</li><li>MIBR</li><li>Wildcard</li><li>BIG</li><li>FlyQuest</li><li>Complexity</li><li>Imperial Valkyries</li><li>SAW</li></ul><p>The Swiss-system format means that in the first round, teams are randomly divided into pairs and play their first matches. In the second stage, the 8 winning teams face off against each other for a 2-0 score, while the losers of the first stage meet each other in pairs. In the 3rd round, the teams with a 2-0 score will play against each other for a spot in the playoffs, while those who lost 2 of their first 2 matches will face off in elimination matches. In the next round, teams are again divided into two groups: 2-1 and 1-2. The winners from the 2-1 group with a 3-1 score will move to the playoffs, while the winners from the 1-2 group will advance to the final stage in the 2-2 group, where the last participants of the LAN portion of the tournament will be decided. A total of 8 participants will meet in the quarterfinals, and the winners will proceed to the semifinals and finals, which will be in a BO5 format.</p><h4>Some top teams will miss the tournament for various reasons:</h4><ol><li>Some teams sign contracts at the beginning of the year for tournaments they will participate in, such as NaVi, as stated by their player Mikhail "<a href="/en/players/im" target="_self">iM</a>" Ivan.</li><li>Other teams, such as Spirit, prioritize other tournaments, according to Leonid "<a href="/en/players/chopper" target="_self">chopper</a>" Vishnyakov.</li><li>Some prefer to better prepare for other tournaments they consider more important, like the management of Liquid stated.</li></ol><p>The lowest-ranked team in this tournament is SAW, who recently added new player José "<a href="/en/players/shr" target="_self">Shr</a>" Gil, who had previously played in less-known teams but is showing solid performance.</p>

The results of the IEM Katowice 2025 quarterfinals have been revealed

<h2>The matchups were The MongolZ vs. Eternal Fire and Virtus.pro vs. Spirit</h2><p>The first quarterfinal match was between the Mongolian and Turkish teams. Contrary to many fans' expectations, there was hardly any intense competition. The first map, as expected, was Anubis, the Turkish team's pick, but The MongolZ were well-prepared and won 13-7. On the second map, Mirage, EF tried to put up a fight and even forced overtime, but ultimately lost 18-22 and were eliminated from the tournament.</p><p>In the second quarterfinal, VP faced Spirit. Despite the fact that 'the bears' had been performing well throughout the tournament, they were forced to play with a stand-in—Nikolay '<a href="/en/players/mir" target="_self">mir</a>' Bityukov—who replaced&nbsp;<a href="/en/players/fl4mus" target="_self">FL4MUS</a>. His&nbsp;<a href="/en/configs" target="_self"><a href="/en/configs" target="_self">CS2 configs</a></a>&nbsp;had recently gained popularity, but he was unable to attend due to visa issues. This substitution did not yield positive results, and the match ended 2-0 in favor of the world's top team of 2024.</p><p>In the semifinals, The MongolZ will face Vitality, while Spirit will once again clash with Natus Vincere.</p>