EPL Masters I

EPL Masters I brings sixteen teams together for a $100,000 prize pool, played online on the Europe West server from July 26 to August 12.

Organized by European Pro League — a fixture of the Tier 3 grassroots scene since the DPC wound down — Masters I is a clear step up in stakes: a six-figure Tier 2 event where up-and-coming European and CIS rosters get a real payday to fight over. It carries no circuit points and sits outside the Major and TI structure, but the timing is the story — it wraps on August 12, one day before The International 2026 begins, so the field mixes TI-bound teams sharpening up with sides that missed the cut chasing one last result to close the season.

Group Stage (July 26 – August 8): Twelve teams split into two groups of six, each a single round-robin. Every series is a Bo3 — a 2–0 gives the winner 3 points, a 2–1 gives the winner 2 and the loser 1. Top two from each group advance; everyone else is eliminated. [Click here for tiebreaker rules.]

Playoffs (August 9 – August 12): The four group qualifiers join four directly-invited teams in an eight-team double-elimination bracket. Every series is a Bo3, Grand Final is Bo5.