Five teams open Stage 2 with sweeps at ESL Pro League 22

Team Falcons, MOUZ, FURIA, Natus Vincere and Gentle Mates opened Stage 2 play by sweeping their opponents on Saturday in the ESL Pro League Season 22 in Stockholm, Sweden.

Team Spirit, HOTU and G2 Esports -- which won when FaZe Clan forfeited their match because they were unable to field an eligible lineup -- also started 1-0 after the first of five rounds.

There were 16 teams at the start of Stage 1, with eight eliminated over five rounds. Eight more teams were invited directly to Stage 2: Team Vitality, MOUZ, Team Spirit, The MongolZ, Team Falcons, Aurora Gaming, FaZe Clan and Natus Vincere.

Stage 2 takes place from Oct. 4-8, featuring the eight teams advancing and the eight teams with automatic entries competing in a 16-team Swiss format, with all matches being best-of-three.

The top eight teams from Stage 2 qualify for the playoffs, which run Oct. 10-12 with a single-elimination bracket. All matches are best-of-three except for the grand final, which is best-of-five.

The tournament features a $400,000 prize pool, with the winner receiving $100,000.

On Saturday, Natus Vincere downed Aurora Gaming 2-0, winning 13-9 on Nuke and 13-10 on Dust II. FURIA likewise had the edge over 3DMAX by winning 13-6 on Nuke and 13-8 on Dust II.

Gentle Mates got a bit more of a challenge from Team Vitality, winning 13-6 on Nuke and 13-11 on Train. MOUZ got stronger as their match with GamerLegion progressed, winning 13-9 on Overpass and 13-3 on Nuke.

Team Falcons were steady by beating Astralis 13-8 on Inferno and 13-6 on Mirage.

Team Spirit won their opening map against Inner Circle Esports, 13-4 on Ancient, but IC drew even with a 13-4 outcome on Nuke. That left Mirage, a 13-11 battle which went to Team Spirit.

HOTU downed The MongolZ 13-8 on Overpass before dropping a 13-10 decision on Mirage. HOTU won 13-9 on Ancient to take the match.

Round 2 high matches scheduled for Sunday:

--Falcons vs. Natus Vincere

--MOUZ vs. Gentle Mates

--Team Spirit vs. HOTU

--FURIA vs. G2 Esports

Round 2 low matches scheduled for Sunday:

--The MongolZ vs. Inner Circle Esports

--Aurora Gaming vs. Astralis

--Team Vitality vs. GamerLegion

--FaZe Clan vs. 3DMAX

ESL Pro League Season 22 prize pool:

1. $100,000, TBD

2. $50,000, TBD

3. $28,000, TBD

4. $22,000, TBD

5-8. $18,000, TBD

9-11. $13,500, 3DMAX, Astralis, Aurora Gaming

12-14. $10,500, FaZe Clan, GamerLegion, Inner Circle Esports

15-16. $8,500, Team Vitality, The MongolZ

17-19. $6,500; B8; ENCE, Legacy

20-22. $4,500; Fluxo, HEROIC, M80

23-24. $3,000; NRG, Rooster

--Field Level Media