The 23rd season of Counter-Strike’s biggest league is set to take place in March. ESL Pro League Season 23, a vital part of the ESL Pro Tour and ESL Grand Slam, promises top-tier Counter-Strike 2 (CS2) esports action for fans to consume.
Join us for our complete guide to the upcoming event, including the teams, format, schedule, stages, streams, and betting predictions.
Disclaimer: All the ESL Pro League Season 23 winner odds quoted are accurate as of Feb. 25, 2026, and are subject to change without notice. VRS Global rankings mentioned are also accurate as of Feb. 25.
ESL Pro League Season 23 Schedule & Format
Running from March 1-15, ESL Pro League Season 23 features three distinct stages of competition. From March 1 to 5, Stage 1 is played online on European servers, with 16 teams competing in a Swiss System format for eight spots in Stage 2.
In Stage 2 (March 6 to 10), the eight teams who made it past Stage 1 will join eight direct invites to compete in another online portion, featuring a Swiss System format. All matches in both Stages 1 and 2 are best-of-three. The top eight teams from Stage 2 will earn spots in the LAN Finals, aka the Playoffs Stage.
For the first time in six years, a portion of ESL Pro League will be held in a stadium, with a huge crowd in attendance. Season 23’s LAN Finals stage (March 13 to 15) takes place live at the Annexet venue in Stockholm, Sweden.
The LAN Finals feature a do-or-die single-elimination bracket, and the Semifinals, Quarterfinals, and the Third-Place Decider are best-of-three. The Grand Final is best-of-five.
For exact match start dates/times in your region, visit our CS2 betting page.
Prize Pool Distribution
ESL Pro League Season 23 features a total prize pool of $1,000,000. There’s both a Player Share and a Club Share, awarded to players and organizations, respectively. You’ll find the complete prize pool distribution outlined below.
| Place | Player Share | Club Share | Total Prize |
| 1st | $100,000 | $150,000 | $250,000 |
| 2nd | $55,000 | $101,500 | $156,500 |
| 3rd | $37,500 | $72,500 | $110,000 |
| 4th | $22,500 | $45,000 | $67,500 |
| 5th–8th | $15,000 | $33,000 | $48,000 |
| 9th–11th | $12,500 | $22,000 | $34,500 |
| 12th–14th | $10,500 | $11,000 | $21,500 |
| 15th–16th | $8,500 | — | $8,500 |
| 17th–19th | $6,500 | — | $6,500 |
| 20th–22nd | $4,500 | — | $4,500 |
| 23rd–24th | $3,000 | — | $3,000 |
| Total | $400,000 | $600,000 | $1,000,000 |
How To Watch ESL Pro League Season 23
Savor every moment of the top-tier CS2 esports action from ESL Pro League Season 23 right here at Thunderpick. Navigate to our CS2 betting section to get started. When the matches begin, head to the “Live” tab and select a match. A live stream and bet slip will appear, where you can make in-play wagers using your favorite cryptocurrencies.
Alternatively, stream the event on the ESL Twitch and YouTube channels.
Teams At ESL Pro League Season 23
Season 23 features many of the best CS2 teams in the world. Team Vitality and Team Falcons are the glaring omissions, as the organizations decided not to attend. Let’s take a look at the teams directly invited to Stage 2, followed by the Stage 1 teams.
Direct Invite Stage 2 Teams
Eight teams were invited directly and subsequently accepted a spot in Stage 2 based on their Valve Regional Standings (VRS) Global rankings on Jan. 5, 2026.
- FURIA
- Team Spirit
- The MongolZ
- MOUZ
- FaZe Clan
- Aurora Gaming
- NAVI
- B8
Stage 1 Teams
Another 16 teams start their journey in Stage 1. Ten received invites based on their ranking in the VRS Global, four earned their spots via ECL Season 50 regional performances, and two via the Open Qualifiers.
- G2 Esports
- Team Liquid
- PARIVISION
- 3DMAX
- Legacy
- Astralis
- HEROIC
- paiN Gaming
- FUT Esports
- Passion UA
- NIP
- NRG
- Gaimin Gladiators
- Monte
- SemperFi Esports
- M80
Note: Lynn Vision Gaming was replaced by FUT Esports following a ruling due to their late withdrawal from the event.
Our ESL Pro League Season 23 Predictions
With Team Vitality skipping Season 23, the tournament is wide open for other squads competing. To make our predictions, we conducted plenty of research and considered factors such as past matchup histories, current player form, and outright winner odds. For a clear picture, we included both Decimal and American odds, and the implied probabilities for a team’s chances of winning the event.
Important: These predictions reflect the perceived strength of teams based on historical trends and the latest available odds. This analysis should not be interpreted as betting advice. Past performance does not guarantee future outcomes. Always gamble responsibly.
Team Spirit
With the return of Boris “magixx” Vorobyev (now an IGL) and Myroslav “zont1x” Plakhotia to the active line for Team Spirit at the end of 2025, expectations are high. On paper, Team Spirit should win multiple top-tier events in 2026.
As noted, Team Vitality won’t be there, so it’s a fantastic opportunity for Team Spirit to hoist their first trophy of 2026. Spirit should also be well-rested, as the squad decided not to attend PGL Cluj-Napoca 2026 following their 3rd at IEM Kraków 2026.
We predict that the break between big events will invigorate Team Spirit to win ESL Pro League Season 23. Odds of 3.50 (+250) signify that they’re one of the favorites, indicating a 28.57% chance of success.
Team Spirit roster:
- Danil “donk” Kryshkovets
- Dmitriy “sh1ro” Sokolov
- Myroslav “zont1x” Plakhotia
- Andrey “tN1R” Tatarinovich
- Boris “magixx” Vorobyev (IGL)
- Sergey “hally” Shavayev (Coach)
FURIA
We predict that Thunderpick World Championship 2025 winners FURIA will earn a spot in the Grand Final of ESL Pro League Season 23. Led by a two-time Major Championship winner, Gabriel “FalleN” Toledo, the squad is sitting pretty at #2 on the VRS and #1 of all teams in attendance.
FURIA earned a respectable 3rd place at BLAST Bounty 2026 Season 1, and they then made it all the way to the Grand Final of IEM Kraków 2026 before losing to Team Vitality.
Odds of 3.20 (+220) indicate a 31.25% chance that FURIA will win Season 23, the highest of any team at the event. While bookmaker odds favor FURIA, it’s worth noting their 5th to 8th-place exit at the recent PGL Cluj-Napoca 2026 event. To the surprise of many fans, FURIA lost 1–2 to The MongolZ. Is the dip in performance a sign of what’s to come, or a temporary setback?
FURIA roster:
- Kaike “KSCERATO” Cerato
- Mareks “YEKINDAR” Gaļinskis
- Yuri “yuurih” Boian
- Danil “molodoy” Golubenko
- Gabriel “FalleN” Toledo (IGL)
- Sidnei “sidde” Macedo (Coach)
PARIVISION
With the iconic AWPer and IGL, Dzhami “Jame” Ali, at the helm of PARIVISION, the squad has punched well above their weight in 2026 thus far. PARIVISION has reached two of the three S-Tier tournament Grand Finals this year and has jumped up the VRS to the #4 position.
The squad stunned opponents and onlookers at BLAST Bounty 2026 Season 1, lifting the trophy after decimating Team Falcons in the Grand Final with a 3–0 score. While they dropped out early at IEM Kraków 2026, PARIVISION bounced back at PGL Cluj-Napoca 2026, steamrolling their way to the Grand Final, where they lost 0–3 against Team Vitality.
Despite starting their ESL Pro League Season 23 journey in Stage 1, bookmakers have high confidence in PARIVISION. Odds of 3.50 (+250) translate to an implied probability of 28.57% for PARIVISION to lift their second trophy of the year on March 15 at the Annexet venue in Sweden.
PARIVISION roster:
- Ivan “zweih” Gogin
- Andrey “BELCHONOKK” Yasinskiy
- Emil “nota” Moskvitin
- Vladislav “xiELO” Lysov
- Dzhami “Jame” Ali (IGL)
- Dastan “dastan” Aqbaev (Coach)
MOUZ
While they’ve failed to reach the Grand Final in 2026 thus far, MOUZ has been incredibly consistent. The team finished top four in most 2025 events as well as both tournaments they attended this year.
MOUZ earned a 4th-place finish at IEM Kraków 2026 and a 3rd-place finish at PGL Cluj-Napoca 2026. The team is currently ranked #3 on the VRS, making the Brollan-led squad our fourth and final pick.
Odds of 6.30 (+530) correlate with our sentiment that MOUZ is a top contender at ESL Pro League Season 23, with a 15.87% chance to lift the trophy.
MOUZ roster:
- Ádám “torzsi” Torzsás
- Dorian “xertioN” Berman
- Jimi “Jimpphat” Salo
- Lotan “Spinx” Giladi
- Ludvig “Brollan” Brolin (IGL)
- Dennis “sycrone” Nielsen (Coach)
Who Will Win ESL Pro League Season 23?
With Team Vitality and Team Falcons absent, can Team Spirit capitalize and win ESL Pro League Season 23? Or will we see FURIA bounce back after a disappointing recent result? We’re eagerly awaiting the answers to those questions, and plenty of others, and can’t wait to see it all unfold in early March.
Join us in the S23 hype by visiting our CS2 betting page, where you can watch every match and place bets on the action with your favorite cryptocurrency.
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