For the safety of participants, the organizers of ESL Pro League not only decided to hold competitions without spectators, but also changed the format of the tournament. The competitions organized by ESL were not the first in 2020 to be held without spectators due to the coronavirus outbreak. But this is not the only change: in ESL the competition scheme has been rebuilt. The league was divided into two divisions – teams from Europe and America will compete separately.
Some teams refused to participate so as not to risk the health of the players. However, they will not lose their places in the league. It is already known that one of the vacant slots will be taken by Swole Patrol, and the second participating team will be announced later.
Thus, the participating teams were re-distributed into groups. There are three groups in the European division, and in the American division – two. As a result, the opponents of Natus Vincere in the opening match will be North, and Virtus.pro will have to meet with FaZe Clan. The winner of the European division will be determined based on the results of two group stages, the leaders of which will advance to the finals. In the American division, after the group stage, competitions will be held in the double-elimination format. The dates of the competition remain unchanged.
