For the safety of the participants, the ESL Pro League organizers not only decided to hold the competition without spectators, but also changed the format of the tournament. The competition, organized by ESL, was not the first in 2020 to be held without spectators due to the coronavirus outbreak. But that's not the only change: the ESL has revamped its competition scheme. The league has been split into two divisions – teams from Europe and America will compete separately.
Some teams have withdrawn so as not to risk the health of the players.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 vacated slots will be taken by Swole Patrol, and the second participating team will be announced later.
Thus, the participating teams have been re-distributed into groups. There are three groups in the European division and two in the American division – . As a result, Natus Vincere's opponents in the opening match will be North, while Virtus.pro will face FaZe Clan. The winner of the European division will be determined by the results of the two group stages, with the leaders advancing to the final. The American division will feature double-elimination competition after the group stage. The dates of the competitions remain unchanged.
