The latest weekend was fantastic for all esports fans out there. Some of the final playoff spots in the ESL Pro League S15 were fought for, which guaranteed a heated atmosphere, nail-biting endings, and some crazy clutch highlights. Now that the brackets are all set, the only thing left is to prepare ourselves and enjoy some high-level CSGO showdowns.

What makes these playoffs even more interesting is that something unexpected happened – one bracket ended up having the best three teams on the planet right now – “Players”, “Natus Vincere”, and “FaZe Clan”.

ESL Pro League Weekend Rewind

The ESL Pro League S15 playoff format has been determined following the completion of the group phase on Sunday, where Natus Vincere won Group D, leaving Heroic in the 2nd spot, and Astralis clinching the final slot.

The group stage was full of shocks, including FURIA's first-place finish in Group B and Movistar Riders' dramatic upset triumph in Group C, while “people's champions” like G2 and Vitality were left out.

Due to specific seeding regulations for the playoffs, the string of upsets, which also saw FaZe and Players fail to live up to their role as big favorites and finish first in their groups, has led to the placement in a bottom-heavy bracket.

Most importantly, such regulations ensure that 1st and 2nd-placed squads from the same group cannot meet until the big finale, while 1st and 3rd-placed squads cannot meet until the semi-finals.

The battle between the world's No. 2 and No. 3 teams, according to world rankings as of March, “FaZe Clan” and “Players”, is clearly the highlight of the round of 12, with current No. 1 squad Natus Vincere anticipating the winning team in the following round.

All of the first-round encounters, as well as the playoff bracket, are listed below.

Round 12 matchups

Quarter-finals matchups

Get Ready For The Show

No matter which team you support, we are guaranteed an exciting series of matchups this week since all the teams that qualified for the playoffs have that unique competitive edge that just doesn’t get turned on until the playoffs start, which means that what we saw during the group stage was just warming up for the real throwdown.

In case you want to add some extra excitement while following the tournament, you may be interested in placing money bets on some of your favorite squads and making your week even better. That way, you not only get the chance to be joyful about your team’s winnings but your own ones as well.

If you want to make the bets, but don’t know where to start, you can check out some of the reviews on our website and choose the right esports betting platform that will meet all of your needs right here.