The light at the end of the tunnel is approaching for the CS:GO player break, which is set to end with the start of ESL Pro League season 16 beginning on Aug. 31. Ahead of the start of season 16, ESL has released the full schedule and groups for the upcoming group stages.
The group stage starts out strong with a stacked Group A that includes NAVI, Vitality, Ninjas in Pyjamas, Team Spirit, Team Endpoint, and Fnatic. This group features three top-10 teams according to HLTV’s world rankings, including two of the top five in NAVI and Vitality. NAVI and Spirit will face each other in the opening match at 5:30am CT on Wednesday, Aug. 31.
Group B features the reigning Major champions, ESL Pro League champions, and IEM Cologne champions in FaZe Clan. Joining FaZe are Outsiders, G2, BIG, MIBR, and For The Win. Both MIBR and FTW qualified via the Conference stage.
Group C also includes three top-10 HLTV ranked teams in MOUZ, ENCE, and Astralis, as well as season 14 champions and now officially partnered team Heroic. Complexity and HEET Gaming round out Group C. Finally, Group D contains Cloud9, Evil Geniuses, Eternal Fire, FURIA, Liquid, and Movistar Riders.
Each team will play the other five teams in their respective group during their group’s match week. Each week features five days of matches, with three matches a day and each team playing once a day. The top three teams from each group will advance to the playoffs, but the No. 1 team in each group will receive a direct bye to the quarterfinals. The playoffs will be a single-elimination bracket.
