ESL Pro League Season 22 had barely started when FaZe Clan became the main headline. The team landed in the middle of a major scandal after arriving with only two players from the roster that had received an invite in July.
How It Started
Let me get this straight: they've received an invite for the s1mple, rain, and EliGE core and are trying to play with jcobbb, broky, and Twistzz?
The fact this is all coming to light 4 hours before their opening match is genuinely hilarious and embarrassing from all involved https://t.co/qhZCHOYvR9
— Travis (@TravCS) October 4, 2025
On July 7, ESL confirmed FaZe’s lineup of s1mple, karrigan, rain, EliGE, and frozen. The roster matched the rules at the time. Over the following months, FaZe made several changes. By the start of the league, only two members of that original five remained. FaZe had already submitted a lineup that included Twistzz, yet ESL raised no objections. Only on the opening day did it become clear that the team no longer met the invite requirements.
Players and Community Reaction
FaZe players reacted first. frozen, broky, and karrigan spammed emojis on social media, showing their confusion. Journalists and analysts joined in:
- Striker (HLTV): “FaZe now only have 2/5 of the invited roster.”
- Travis (analyst): “They got an invite for s1mple, rain, and EliGE, but now want to play with jcobbb, broky, and Twistzz. This all surfaces four hours before the match.”
Fans mocked and criticized the situation:
- “Why invite that core if they only played one event together?”
- “ESL completely missed it and only noticed on day one.”
- “They need to fly in rain immediately or they can’t play.”
Criticism of ESL
#ESLProLeague S22 Update:@FaZeClan have decided to forfeit today's match against @G2CSGO.@FURIA vs. @3DMAXGaming will instead be the match featured on the main broadcast at 18:00 CEST. pic.twitter.com/hqtr3220we
— ESL Counter-Strike (@ESLCS) October 4, 2025
The organizers also faced backlash. Fans noted that ESL had two weeks to act but ignored the issue until opening day. A Telegram channel added: “FaZe submitted a roster with Twistzz, and ESL made no objections then.” This raised more questions about poor communication between the club and ESL.
The day ended with the biggest twist. ESL announced that FaZe forfeited their match against G2, handing them a technical loss. The broadcast instead featured FURIA vs 3DMAX.
It remains unclear whether FaZe can continue once they fix the roster, or if ESL will fully disqualify them. One thing is certain: the scandal has already overshadowed the start of ESL Pro League Season 22.
