FaZe skip ESL Pro League 21 as invites revealed

13-1-2025 17:29

FaZe are the only eligible top team to skip the 24-team Stockholm event.

12 teams have accepted invites to ESL Pro League Season 21, to join 12 others that qualified via ESL Challenger leagues and tournaments.

The invites use the January 6 Valve Global Standings, and only FaZe have declined from the eligible list from G2 down to 3DMAX.

The move to skip the two-week-long event comes after the opening up of the space for 2025, with tournament organizers like PGL and StarLadder returning with more events on the calendar. ESL Pro League's first season of 2025 is sandwiched by PGL Cluj-Napoca and BLAST Open Lisbon.

The tournament's location has been moved from Malta to Sweden, and 2025 also brings a format change to two Major-style Swiss systems before an eight-team playoffs.

FaZe's choice is to the benefit of GamerLegion, who have swooped in to take the final invitation. Complexity, BIG, and Astralis are the three teams who just miss out.

The top VGS-invited teams will be joined by the ESL Challenger League regional finalists, including the ex-Sangal core in HEROIC in addition to international rarities NRG and TYLOO.

Stage 2: VGS

Stage 1: VGS

Stage 1: ESL Challenger

HEROIC (ECL48 EU)

Nemiga (ECL48 EU)

M80 (ECL48 NA)

NRG (ECL48 NA)

paiN (ECL48 SA)

MIBR (ECL48 SA)

TYLOO (ECL48 AS)

Lynn Vision (ECL48 AS)

Mindfreak (ECL48 OC)

Housebets (ECL48 OC)

FlyQuest (ECL Atlanta)

SAW (ECL Kato)

all part of ztr's masterplan

2025-01-13 17:30

149

2 replies

faze making their best spirit impression xd

2025-01-13 17:43

1 reply

i mean it worked out for spirit last year

2025-01-13 17:49

WTF

5 replies

you have 13-15 1m event, why go to long 300k event when less points, less time to practice and more hectic when you can get like double the points from 1m events

2025-01-13 17:42

129

4 replies

oh wtf I didnt even realize the huge cut in the prize pool. EPL has really had a fall from grace. from weeks of competition and sold out stadiums, to a playing in a basement for a smaller prize pool

2025-01-13 17:59

The prizepool wasn't cut, the "club prize money" for top 14 teams now makes the most of it. In other words, part of the money now goes directly to orgs, not to players. It's their way of making orgs come to their events now that franchising is over. Which is at least event to event, unlike Blast with their "frequent flyer" that makes it harder to skip their event the later in the year it is.

2025-01-13 18:16

EPL isn't long anymore though. It's a swiss-format groupstage with 16 teams. Lasts only 9 days now.

2025-01-13 18:31

okay, thought that the format is still the second one, the 3 weeks one

2025-01-14 02:14

it begins but kato/colo are not going to be skipped this time so it's all good

based skipping way too long studio event

bro it takes you one second to check how long the tournament is, also new system, faze would be already in stage 2

2025-01-13 18:09

facts, give the boys a break

2025-01-15 13:13

lan dodging in big 2025

2025-01-13 17:31

TYLOO EZ WIN

good choice tbh EPL is not worth it anymore

3 replies

FAZE_WILL_WIN_AUSTIN

2025-01-13 18:00

I will change my name to that when I can.

2025-01-13 18:03

thank you for your service mens, almost won the last one

wow weak

2025-01-13 17:32

New year, new Pro League format, yayyy!!!

FaZe's too old grandpas need to rest

Grandpas getting in major finals? I want those grandpas more! Haha Fock those who cant even make it to major finals.xD

2025-01-13 19:46

I didn't say grandpas are bad, they just need to rest after a tough tournament

2025-01-13 19:48

Wtf are these teams? Mid event

2025-01-13 17:33

Basically all of the top 10 and a ton of teams that grinded last year getting a chance to prove themselves. Do you just hate fun or something?

meds, all top 10 teams except faze are playing

2025-01-13 18:49

TYLOO Aintnoway

for @GANGSTA_DANK1NG it's yes way

2025-01-13 17:34

hahah maldpex will cry when mercury drops 2 40 bombs on vita.

2025-01-13 18:37

i wish EPL was round robin, make it feel like a proper league

good way to make sure the rest of top10 teams skip it too lol

2025-01-13 19:27

i really liked the old online format with online leagues in EU and NA

2025-01-13 21:22

took absolutely forever tho + no one watched all those bo2s lmao best online league format was the one ECS did right at the end

2025-01-14 09:46

I mean, with how much events we have, its understandable to miss some events and other teams must make this too.. Not even for saving tactics but considering how much events they need to play, it will become tiring

2025-01-13 17:35

They dont have the goat of MVPs in EPL aka Mr Kool so FaZe doesnt care more about the tournament.

2025-01-13 17:36

Epl have been trash since 2016 so

No new-look FaZe? :( ash's GoatLegion gets in? :)

2025-01-13 17:37

REZ to become the MVP of an IEM in 2025

2025-01-13 17:39

so it's begin faze downfall without ropz

oSee back vamos

lol

2025-01-13 17:47

Why FaZe wtf?

2025-01-13 17:48

Prevent player burnout Spirit skipped Rio then won the major G2 bombed out of Rio early then won the following tournament

2025-01-13 17:54

faze didnt have a break for so long (tournament wise), i feel like in 2024 they attended every single damn event permanently away and travelling so I am not surprised they start skipping events now

2025-01-14 09:49

Imagine if faze does not perform good in the previous events then they surely regret this decision lol

2025-01-13 17:52

Let me get this straight. FaZe needs two wins to complete Intel Grand Slam They have two chances left until they start losing old notches EPL is second eligible tournament to get the win after Katowice and they just skip that tournament?! I guess they don't believe in themselves at all... But you know what would be ultimate cinema? If FaZe somehow wins Katowice and can't get re-invited to EPL to at least try win IGS

2025-01-13 17:53

They are in no position to challenge for IGS right now.They havent won anything last 9 months. First,they have to start winning tournaments consistently,then they can maybe think about winning IGS. There is no point in thinking about IGS when you dont have 3 notches imo.

2025-01-13 18:08

Realistically judging your chances as small is one thing but taking yourself out of the running is something else completely. They are one of only two teams in the running with two notches.

2025-01-13 18:20

Good, this event is bad

Gambling on failcons not being able to field a complete roster by then (it’s still two months time after all!) so BIG gets invited on short notice

They have a complete team already

2025-01-13 19:07

Useless event

2025-01-13 18:02

no vp but 3 australian bot teams

2025-01-13 18:15

Housebet clears

2025-01-15 13:16

3 australian teams, why are they here? epl loses relevance

2025-01-13 18:17

Cuz flyquest won ECL atalanta ???

2025-01-13 19:15

No astralis its an disgrace

2025-01-13 18:19

faze out? liquid in! ez

EPL back to its roots. providing opportunities to lower tier teams

2025-01-13 18:28

No asstralis big W

2025-01-13 18:34

Unexpected.

2025-01-13 18:38

Can someone explain why Astralis and complexity missing pro league?

2025-01-13 18:45

complexity is rank 16 and astralis is rank 20. the tournament has 12 invites, and valve rules requires them to invite starting with rank 1 in queue order, as a tier 1 event.

2025-01-13 18:51

Thanks

2025-01-14 02:29

Well less chance for Grand Slam

2025-01-13 19:31

this organisation !!

2025-01-13 19:42

nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

2025-01-13 19:59

Why no M80 or Imperial? both teams did a good run last Pro League

2025-01-13 20:11

"12 teams have accepted invites to ESL Pro League Season 21, to join 12 others that qualified via ESL Challenger leagues and tournaments." "The invites use the January 6 Valve Global Standings" January 6th Valve Global Standings: #32 M80 ... #39 Imperial

2025-01-13 20:30

More teams should skip Pro League.

2025-01-13 20:20

Noooo

Good choice

2025-01-13 20:33

3 dogshit asstralian teams but no faze/col/vp. ok mickey mouse tourney confirmed

2025-01-13 22:59

FQ would wipe the floor with Complexity bro ngl

2025-01-13 23:01

okay and what about "mindfreak" and "housebets"? 2025 is shaping up to be the least competitive year yet, filled with dogshit australian teams and FE teams who farm points in closed competitions for tournament slots

2025-01-13 23:04

australian teams put in the hours, whereas complexity and vp failed to achieve any meaningful results and collapsed almost entirely last year. if they wanted to get invited, they should've put some results on the table. if they wanted to grind their way into the proleague, they could've gone in and won everyone in the challenger leagues.

2025-01-14 02:40