ESL Pro League S22 Day 1: Results of the Opening Matches

Today marked the start of Stage 1 of ESL Pro League Season 22, with the debut matches of the tournament. Fans immediately witnessed both confident victories from favorites and loud upsets. Among the surprises were Inner Circle’s win over 3DMAX, HOTU’s victory against FURIA, Gentle Mates defeating HEROIC, as well as ENCE’s triumph in their clash with M80.

G2 vs Rooster (2:0)

The match began on Overpass, Rooster’s pick. The first half ended 7:5 in favor of G2. In the second half, Rooster tried to close the gap, but the map ended 13:9 for G2. On their pick, Inferno, G2 fully controlled the game and closed it out without issues, 13:3.

Astralis vs Fluxo (2:1)

Astralis won the opening map Mirage with a 13:6 score. On Inferno, Fluxo managed to bounce back with a 13:9 win. But on the decider, Nuke, the Brazilian side suffered a crushing defeat, losing 13:2 and securing only 2 rounds on the T side.

GamerLegion vs NRG (2:0)

On Train, picked by NRG, the match was close to going to overtime, but at 11:12, GamerLegion sealed the key round and closed the map 13:11. Overpass started well for NRG with 4 consecutive round wins, but in the second half they couldn’t withstand GamerLegion’s defense — 13:9 for GamerLegion.

3DMAX vs Inner Circle (1:2)

The first map, Ancient, turned into a real thriller. 3DMAX edged out the win only in overtime, 16:13. On Nuke, Inner Circle (ex-TNL) struck back confidently with a 13:9 victory, and on the decider Train they dominated, closing the map 13:4.

FURIA vs HOTU (0:2)

FURIA, who recently won FISSURE Playground 2, sensationally lost 0:2 against HOTU. Overpass was a disaster for the Brazilians, ending 8:13, and on Dust2, despite efforts to turn the tide, FURIA fell 9:13.

Legacy vs B8 (1:2)

On their pick, Dust2, B8 lost focus and fell 4:13. Ancient ended with a 6:6 tie in the first half, but switching to the T side, B8 completely dominated and didn’t allow Legacy to take a single round, 13:6. The decider Train turned into a nightmare for Legacy, as they were crushed 13:2.

HEROIC vs Gentle Mates (1:2)

On their pick Nuke, Gentle Mates closed the map with a confident 13:6 win. On Mirage, despite a 6:6 half, HEROIC took full control in the second half, conceding only 1 round on the T side — 13:7. The deciding Ancient went into overtime, where Gentle Mates secured the victory 16:12.

M80 vs ENCE (1:2)

On Dust2, ENCE started strong, winning the first half 9:3. M80 managed to take 5 rounds in a row in the second half to bring the score to 8:9, but ENCE closed it out 13:10. On Mirage, M80 looked much more confident and took the map 13:9. The decider Ancient was under ENCE ’s control from the early rounds, as they sealed the win 13:8.

The tournament bracket looks as follows:

Stage 1 of ESL Pro League S22 will run from September 28 to October 2, while the entire tournament takes place from September 28 to October 12. The total prize pool of the competition is $400,000.