ESL has announced that it is abandoning plans to hold ESL Pro League Season 13 playoff matches in Malta. The competition will take place entirely online. The main reason for this decision is cited by the tournament organizer as restrictions on international flights and quarantine measures that will prevent teams from gathering in Malta to play LAN-format matches. The group stage of the competition will begin on March 8, with the playoffs scheduled to start on April 2. There will be a three-day break before the final stage, with the finals taking place between April 8 and April 11.
Previously, when ESL released its 2021 eSports calendar in January, the Pro League playoffs were seen as a transitional stage from an online format to a competition that would be held, albeit without spectators, over a LAN connection. It remains to be seen whether the same prospect awaits the next big event – DreamHack Masters Spring tournament, which is scheduled to begin on April 29. It was previously announced that it would also be held over LAN in the studio, but that is now in doubt. The decision will probably be made closer to a specific date, when it will be clear how the epidemic situation is developing.