In September 2024, 32 of the best Counter-Strike 2 (CS2) teams will descend upon the InterContinental Malta venue in Saint Julian’s, Malta. With a prize pool of $750,000 to compete for over three weeks, ESL Pro League Season 20 promises to be as thrilling as its predecessors.
Join us for a deep dive into every aspect of ESL Pro League Season 20, including the tournament’s schedule, format, and competitors. We also put together our expert CS2 betting predictions, which feature who we think will end up on the podium.
Learn how to make predictions by checking out our CS2 betting guide for in-depth tips.
ESL Pro League S20
ESL Pro League S20 Schedule & Format
ESL Pro League Season 20 is a LAN event that runs from Sept. 3-22. It features two stages of competition: the Group Stage and the Playoffs Stage. In the Group Stage, 32 teams are divided into four groups of eight. All matches are best-of-three, with the top four squads from each group advancing to the Playoffs Stage.
Group winners advance directly to the Playoffs Quarterfinals, while runners-up advance to the Round of 12 as the High Seeds. Teams who place third in their respective groups advance to the Round of 16 as the High Seeds, while teams who place fourth advance to the Round of 16 as the Low Seeds. The bottom four in each group are eliminated.
In the ESL Pro League Season 20 Playoffs Stage, the remaining 16 teams will compete in a single-elimination bracket format. The Grand Final is best-of-five, while the rest of the matches are all best-of-three.
Check out our dedicated CS2 betting section for match start dates and times in your region.
How To Watch ESL Pro League S20
Immerse yourself in the ESL Pro League action and place wagers using your favorite cryptocurrency right here at Thunderpick. Navigate to our CS2 betting section, select the “Live” tab, and then select the camera icon next to any ESL Pro League Season 20 match. An embedded live stream will appear with our betslip to the right-hand side, enabling you to place wagers while watching all the thrilling matches.
You can also watch IEM Cologne 2024 via the tournament organizer’s ESLCS Twitch and ESL Counter-Strike YouTube channels.
Learn how to bet with crypto at Thunderpick!
Teams Competing In ESL Pro League S20
Thirty-two teams will compete in ESL Pro League Season 20. Some received direct invites as Partner Teams and others earned their spots via ESL Challenger events and ESL World Rankings. You can find the competitors in their respective groups and opening matchups below.
Group A Teams & Matchups:
Group B Teams & Matchups:
- Team Spirit vs. Wildcard Gaming
- MIBR vs. 9z Team
- 3DMAX vs. The MongolZ
- G2 Esports vs. KOI
Group C Teams & Matchups:
- Rooster vs. MOUZ
- Imperial Esports vs. BIG
- M80 vs. Complexity
- Astralis vs. Fnatic
Group D Teams & Matchups:
- Team Vitality vs. ATOX Esports
- FURIA vs. Team Falcons
- ENCE vs. Team Liquid
- RED Canids vs. Virtus.pro
Groups A & B begin on Sept. 3, while Groups C & D start on Sept. 10, 2024.
Our Predictions For ESL Pro League S20
With 32 of the best squads in the world participating, sparks are bound to fly, and upsets could occur. Historically, ESL Pro League events have been challenging to predict because of the number of teams from all regions facing each other on LAN. But we’re more than up for the challenge! Check out our top four predictions for ESL Pro League Season 20 below.
Please note: Our ESL Pro League S20 predictions take player and team form into account based on recent performances at major events such as IEM Cologne 2024. We also consider the latest HLTV rankings, stats, and matchup histories for well-rounded predictions and sprinkle in the author’s expert opinion. Under no circumstances should anyone interpret this analysis as betting advice. Always gamble responsibly.
1. MOUZ
Some CS2 esports fans may consider choosing MOUZ as a bold prediction for the winner of the ESL Pro League Season 20. While the team is #3 globally, #1 (NAVI) and #2 (Team Vitality) are in attendance, too. However, that hasn’t stopped MOUZ in the past. The squad won ESL Pro League Season 19 by sweeping Team Vitality 3-0, and they won ESL Pro League Season 18 by pulling off the same devastating 3-0 against NAVI.
MOUZ recently earned a 3rd/4th place finish at IEM Cologne 2024 after NAVI sent them packing in a relatively close Playoffs match. The squad has shown solid form in other events this year, and they tend to exceed expectations when playing in Malta.
MOUZ roster:
- Ludvig “Brollan” Brolin
- Ádám “torzsi” Torzsás
- Dorian “xertioN” Berman
- Jimi “Jimpphat” Salo
- Kamil “siuhy” Szkaradek (IGL)
- Dennis “sycrone” Nielsen (Coach)
2. NAVI
At the start of ESL Pro League Season 20, NAVI is the #1 ranked team in the world. The squad is the first-ever CS2 Major Championship winner (PGL Major Copenhagen 2024), and they also won the Esports World Cup 2024 in July. NAVI’s players are simply on form, especially in LAN events.
The caveat for NAVI is that the ESL Pro League features a best-of-five Grand Final, and Finnish IGL Aleksib has been struggling for four years to win an S-Tier event’s BO5 finale. Aleksib lost five BO5 Grand Finals in a row, the latest being a 3-1 defeat at the hands of Team Vitality at IEM Cologne 2024.
NAVI roster:
- Valerij “b1t” Vakhovsjkyj
- Justinas “jL” Lekavičius
- Mihai “iM” Ivan
- Ihor “w0nderful” Zhdanov
- Aleksi “Aleksib” Virolainen (IGL)
- Andrij “B1ad3” Ghorodensjkyj (Coach)
3. Team Vitality
Hot off a 3-1 win over NAVI in the Theater of Counter-Strike at IEM Cologne 2024, Team Vitality is clearly on top form. However, it was their first S-Tier trophy of 2024, leaving some question marks around their consistency. If apEX can inspire his team on the server, we could see Vitality prevail in Malta.
Team Vitality is the #2 team in the world heading into ESL Pro League Season 20, and ZywOo is on fire—he earned the MVP award at IEM Cologne. If the likes of flameZ and Spinx can continue clicking heads with the same vigor they have in the past few months, Team Vitality should claim a podium finish.
Team Vitality roster:
- Mathieu “ZywOo” Herbaut
- Lotan “Spinx” Giladi
- Shahar “flameZ” Shushan
- William “mezii” Merriman
- Dan “apEX” Madesclaire (IGL)
- Rémy “XTQZZZ” Quoniam (Coach)
4. Team Spirit
Russian side Team Spirit is widely considered one of the squads with the most potent firepower in the world. Their lineup includes both the deadly entry fragger donk and AWPer sh1ro. However, the team has had some tough times, getting knocked out early at the Esports World Cup and IEM Cologne 2024.
Can Team Spirit recover from recent setbacks and claim the ESL Pro League Season 20 trophy? If IGL chopper can rally the young Russian players, they’re very likely to win the entire event.
Team Spirit roster:
- Danil “donk” Kryshkovets
- Dmitriy “sh1ro” Sokolov
- Boris “magixx” Vorobyev
- Myroslav “zont1x” Plakhotja
- Leonid “chopper” Vishnyakov (IGL)
- Sergey “hally” Shavayev (Coach)
For some alternative picks, we’d like to shout out G2 Esports, FaZe Clan, Team Liquid, Astralis, Team Falcons, and Virtus.pro.
Prepare For Top-Tier Action At ESL Pro League S20
With so much talent participating in ESL Pro League Season 20, we can only imagine how exciting the matches will get in September. For nearly three weeks, 32 of the best teams in the world will compete for a slice of the $750,000 pie, and it really is anyone’s game. While we feel confident in our predictions, upsets are bound to happen in Malta.
You can stay up-to-date with all of the action right here at Thunderpick. We provide a seamless experience with live streams and crypto betting options. All you need to do is visit our CS2 betting page, where you can pick the matches you want to bet on and watch.
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