The ESL FACEIT Group moved the dates of the ESL Pro League Season 18 by one week, with the competition now set to begin Aug. 30 in Malta and concluding on Oct. 1.

The tournament organizer said the change was made “in order to optimize the CS:GO calendar further to avoid potential overlap.”

FaZe Clan was crowned the champion of Season 17 over the weekend, and the Conference Stage will be eliminated beginning with Season 18.

The planned slot distribution for Season 18:
–15 Louvre Partner Teams (Astralis, BIG, Complexity, ENCE, Evil Geniuses, FaZe Clan, Fnatic, FURIA, G2 Esports, Heroic, MOUZ, Natus Vincere, Ninjas in Pyjamas, Team Liquid, and Team Vitality);
–Three teams qualifying via their ESL World Ranking (the cut-off date is on June 12);
–Two teams qualifying through winning an ESL Challenger competition (Melbourne and Hannover);
–Six teams qualifying through winning a regional ECL season (EU S44 & S45; NA S44 & S45; Asia S44 & S45);
–Two teams qualifying through the ESL National Championships in the BR region (one team) and in the ANZ region (one team);
–Two teams qualifying amongst all of the European ESL National Championship winners, who will be pitted against each other on July 13-16;
–Two teams qualifying via regional EPL Qualifiers (ANZ & SA).

–Field Level Media