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Cloud9 swept to victory on Wednesday to open Group D action at ESL Pro League Season 16 in Malta.

Cloud9 dispatched Evil Geniuses 2-0. In the day’s other action, FURIA Esports defeated Eternal Fire 2-1 and Team Liquid knocked off Movistar Riders 2-1.

Groups A, B and C action have been completed. Group D will be played through Sunday. MOUZ won Group C, G2 Esports cruised in Group B as did Team Vitality in Group A.

The $835,000 Counter-Strike: Global Offensive event features 24 teams vying for a $175,000 first prize and a berth in the BLAST Premier World Final. Only the Season 16 champion will clinch a spot in the $1 million Final set for Dec. 14-18 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

The Season 16 winner also nabs a berth in the $1 million Intel Extreme Masters Katowice 2023, scheduled for Jan. 31-Feb. 12 in Poland.

The Pro League teams were divided into four groups for the initial round-robin phase. The four group champions advance to the playoff quarterfinals, while the teams that come in second and third in each group move on to the playoffs’ Round of 12.

All matches in the group stage and the playoffs are best-of-three until the best-of-five final on Oct. 2.

On Wednesday, Cloud9 defeated Evil Geniuses 16-12 on Inferno and 16-5 on Dust II. Kazakhstan’s Abay “HObbit” Khasenov led Cloud9 with 46 kills and a plus-18 kill-to-death differential. Every Cloud9 player finished in the positive in the K-D differential while no player for Evil Geniuses had a positive mark.

FURIA opened with a 16-7 win on Nuke before Eternal Fire responded with a 19-17 win on Vertigo in overtime. FURIA clinched with a 16-5 win on Inferno. Kaike “KSCERATO” Cerato led the all-Brazilian FURIA with 73 kills and a plus-26 K-D differential.

Team Liquid started with a 16-13 win over Movistar Riders on Mirage. Riders rebounded with a 16-14 triumph on Inferno before Liquid closed it out on Vertigo, 16-13. Latvia’s Mareks “YEKINDAR” Galinskis led Liquid with 77 kills while teammate Jonathan “EliGE” Jablonowski of the United States paced the team with a plus-14 differential.

Group D action continues Thursday with three matches:
–Cloud9 vs. Eternal Fire
–Movistar Riders vs. FURIA Esports
–Team Liquid vs. Evil Geniuses

ESL Pro League Season 16 group standings
Group D
1. Cloud9, 1-0, +15, 3 points
2. FURIA Esports, 1-0, +14, 3 points
3. Team Liquid, 1-0, +4, 3 points
4. Movistar Riders, 0-1, -4, 0 points
5. Eternal Fire, 0-1, -14, 0 points
6. Evil Geniuses, 0-1, -15, 0 points

Group A
1. Team Vitality, 5-0, +40, 15 points
2. Fnatic, 3-2, +36, 9 points
3. Natus Vincere, 3-2, +6, 6 points
4. Team Spirit, 2-3, -9, 6 points
5. Ninjas in Pyjamas, 2-3, -31, 6 points
6. Endpoint, 1-4, -42, 3 points

Group B
1. G2 Esports, 5-0, +73, 15 points
2. FaZe Clan, 4-1, +39, 12 points
3. Outsiders, 3-2, +27, 9 points
4. BIG, 2-3, +3, 6 points
5. MIBR, 1-4, -62, 3 points
6. FTW Esports, 0-5, -80, 0 points

Group C
1. MOUZ, 4-1, +32, 12 points
2. Heroic, 4-1, +26, 12 points
3. Complexity, 3-2, -4, 9 points
4. Astralis, 2-3, +14, 6 points
5. ENCE, 1-4, -25, 3 points
6. HEAT, 1-4, -43, 3 points

–Field Level Media