World-class Counter-Strike 2 returns to Poland this autumn as ESL Pro League Season 24 runs from October 3 to October 11, 2026.
Staged in Katowice with the playoffs hosted inside the iconic Spodek Arena, the flagship event brings together 16 of the globe's finest lineups to compete for a share of a $1,000,000 total prize pool. Here is everything you need to know about the tournament structure, contenders, and schedule.
Tournament Overview and Format
Marking the 24th edition of ESL's premier circuit, the tournament is a core stop on the ESL Pro Tour and holds Valve Tier 1 Wildcard classification. The entire event takes place in a LAN environment.
The competition begins with a 16-team Swiss system stage where every series is a Best-of-3. Eight squads will punch their tickets to the knockout rounds. Reaching three victories secures playoff qualification, while three defeats means immediate elimination.
Seed Information
Team-Selected Seeding: Initial seedings are determined through direct voting by the participating teams, leaving Valve's Regional Standings (VRS) strictly as a tiebreaker.
Live Ratings: Following each round, ESL recalculates an Elo-style live ranking to generate subsequent pairings, ensuring fresh matchups while replacing conventional fixed-bracket draws.
Playoffs: The top eight teams move on to a single-elimination playoff bracket. Quarterfinals and Semifinals will be played as Best-of-3s, then as a Best-of-5s, until the Finals on Sunday.
Participating Teams
The 16-team field consists of 12 squads invited via Valve's global ranking (VRS) alongside four regional qualifiers from ESL Challenger League Season 51 representing Europe, North America, South America, and Asia.
Confirmed Participants
Seed | Team | Seed | Team |
1 | Team Spirit | 9 | Natus Vincere |
2 | Team Vitality | 10 | 9z Globant |
3 | Team Falcons | 11 | BetBoom Team |
4 | MOUZ | 12 | Parivision |
5 | Legacy | 13 | M80 |
6 | Furia | 14 | TYLOO |
7 | Aurora Gaming | 15 | 1WIN |
8 | G2 Esports | 16 | ShindeN |
Playoff seeding and quarterfinal matchups will be finalized using Swiss stage outcomes and ESL's Live Ratings as the primary tiebreaker.
Playoff Schedule
Match | Date | Time |
Quarterfinal 1 | Friday, October 9 | 5:00 a.m. (ET) |
Quarterfinal 2 | Friday, October 9 | 7:30 a.m. (ET) |
Quarterfinal 3 | Friday, October 9 | 10:00 a.m. (ET) |
Quarterfinal 4 | Friday, October 9 | 12:30 a.m. (ET) |
Semifinal 1 | Saturday, October 10 | 9:45 a.m. (ET) |
Semifinal 2 | Saturday, October 10 | 1:00 p.m. (ET) |
Finals | Sunday, October 11 | 8:00 a.m. (ET) |
Prize Pool Breakdown
The $1,000,000 (USD) purse is distributed between direct player payouts and club rewards.
| Total | Player Share | Club Share |
1st Place | $295,000 | $125,000 | $170,00 |
2nd Place | $175,000 | $50,000 | $125,000 |
3rd Place | $120,000 | $30,000 | $90,000 |
4th Place | $85,000 | $20,000 | $65,000 |
5-8th Place | $85,000 | $20,000 | $65,000 |
9-11th Place | $26,000 | $6,000 | $20,000 |
12-14th Place | $14,000 | $4,000 | $10,000 |
15-16th Place | $2,500 | $2,5000 | - |
How to watch ESL Pro League Season 24
Fans can catch all the action live across ESL's official Counter-Strike channels on Twitch and YouTube. Since Swiss stage fixtures frequently run simultaneously, secondary streams will be active on both platforms to ensure viewers do not miss any concurrent games.
Discover more from bet365
Read the latest More Sports & News.
