ESL Pro League Season 23 preview: teams, format, schedule and more

The Tier 1 Counter-Strike 2 circuit continues to heat up as some of the world’s best teams prepare to compete in the 23rd season of ESL Pro League. 

For several teams in attendance, competing in the long-standing tournament provides an opportunity to earn valuable Valve Regional Standings (VRS) points that determine which 32 teams earn a place at the IEM Cologne Major.

From the teams contending for championship glory to the format and prize pool distribution, here is everything there is to know about ESL Pro League Season 23.

The online phase of ESL Pro League Season 23 kicks off on March 1st and concludes on March 10th. 

Once the online phase has concluded, the remaining teams head to Stockholm’s Annexet from March 13th to 15th to determine the latest ESL Pro League champion. 

ESL Pro League Season 23 marks the first time in six years that the long-standing event has taken place in front of a live audience. Since 2019, ESL has hosted the tournament within its Stockholm-based studios.

Twenty-four teams will begin the online stage of ESL Pro League Season 23. Eighteen teams received direct invitations based on their position in January’s VRS, while the remaining six slots were secured by the winners of regional ESL Challenger League events and open DreamHack Knockout qualifiers.

One notable absence is Team Vitality. The defending ESL Pro League champion will not compete after deciding not to attend following a busy start to the 2026 season.

As a result of Team Vitality’s absence, the likes of FURIA, Team Spirit and Parivision are aiming to add another high-profile tournament victory to their cabinet.

For some organisations, the event is the first time their new-look lineup will compete in a Tier 1 tournament. Ahead of the event, 3DMAX signed Kévin ‘misutaaa‘ Rabier to its starting roster in a bid to find some form after a tricky 2026 campaign.

Below is a list of all the teams competing in the event:

With several of the world’s best teams battling it out, the attention of the community will be on FURIA after the team topped February’s VRS. Following an impressive showing at PGL Cluj-Napoca 2026, the international roster of FUT Esports hopes to continue its run of form with another strong performance in the opening stage.

After starting the year with victory at BLAST Bounty Season 1 2026, Parivision could find itself in contention to lift its second trophy to cement its place among the world’s elite Counter-Strike teams.

ESL Pro League Season 23 is contested across two online stages and the LAN Playoffs. The online stages use a best-of-three Swiss format, with the top eight teams from Stage 1 advancing to Stage 2. 

Another 16-team Swiss stage determines which teams advance to the Playoffs, with the top eight from Stage 2 heading to Stockholm for a chance to lift the trophy. 

The Playoffs feature a best-of-three, single-elimination bracket for the quarter and semi-finals. The Grand Final will use a best-of-five series to determine the eventual champion. On the same day as the Grand Final, a third-place match will decide who takes the bottom step of the podium.

Tickets for the ESL Pro League Season 23 Playoffs are still available to purchase, with various options on offer to fans looking to see the world’s best teams in action. 

For the online phase, fans can tune into the action across ESL’s Twitch and YouTube channels, which can be found below:

ESL Pro League features a $275,000 prize pool distributed among the eight teams that qualify for the Playoffs. 

In addition to the prize pool, the event winner also joins the ESL Grand Slam race. The incentive organised by ESL rewards a team that wins four Tier 1 tournaments operated by the tournament organiser with a $1m (~£739,145) prize.

The full prize pool distribution is as follows: