ESL Pro League Season 16 enters the Playoffs stage

12 teams will battle it out to see who will get to the Grand Final.

After nearly a month of Group Stage, the ESL Pro League (EPL) Season 16 has entered the playoffs stage. From 24 teams, the line-up has been cut down to 12 teams playing in the tournament's next stage. With a selection of teams from around the world, EPL Season 16 in Malta is set to show who is the best, as we head into the IEM Rio RMR season.

Teams playing

Twelve teams will be playing in the Playoffs stage, with eight teams playing in the Round of 12 and four teams seeded directly to the quarterfinals.

The eight teams in the Round of 12 are:

- FaZe Clan

- compLexity Gaming

- Fnatic

- Team Liquid

- Heroic

- Natus Vincere

- FURIA Esports

- Outsiders

The four teams waiting in the quarterfinals are:

- Cloud9

- MOUZ

- G2 Esports

- Team Vitality

Notable names in the line-up include Outsiders, G2 Esports and Cloud9. Unfortunately, NAVI, the top team of 2021, will be starting Playoffs from the bottom instead of being seeded as a quarterfinal team after finishing third in Group A.

Mechanics & Incentives

Playoffs will be played as a Single-Elimination Bracket, with all matches except the Grand Final played as a Best of 3. The Grand Final match will be played as a Best of 5.

The winner of EPL Season 16 will be qualified for both BLAST World Final and IEM Katowice 2023. This is on top of walking away with $175,000 prize money.

Where to watch

Fans can follow the Playoffs on ESL’s official twitch channel right HERE. The first match for the stage will be between Fnatic and Team Liquid, you can check out the latest scores at our hub page HERE.