FaZe was the only team among the top qualified teams to opt out of the 24-team event in Stockholm.

12 teams accepted invitations to ESL Pro League Season 21, with 12 more teams qualifying through ESL Challenger tournaments and events.

The invitations were based on Valve's Global Rankings as of January 6, and only FaZe declined the invitation in the list of qualified teams, from G2 down to 3DMAX.

FaZe's decision to skip the two-week tournament comes as the 2025 calendar expands, with tournament organizers such as PGL and StarLadder returning with more events on the schedule. The first season of ESL Pro League 2025 is held between PGL Cluj-Napoca and BLAST Open Lisbon.

The tournament's location has been moved from Malta to Sweden, and 2025 also brings a change in format with two Swiss Major-style systems before reaching the eight-team playoffs.

FaZe's decision benefited GamerLegion, who quickly secured the final invitational spot. Complexity, BIG and Astralis are the three teams right behind but are not eligible to participate.

The top invited teams from VGS will be joined by ESL Challenger League regional finalists, including Sangal's former HEROIC squad, along with rare international names such as NRG and TYLOO.