The first part of the Counter-Strike 2 esports competition will be played online, giving less-known teams a real opportunity to shine. While some of the top teams are expected to dominate in the initial matches, it’s an exciting time for up-and-coming players.
Season 23 of the ESL Pro League is updating its format. The tournament will begin with two online qualifying stages using the Swiss System, and then the top teams will compete in a live, in-person final bracket.
The new tournament format definitely changes the vibe, but it won’t make watching CS2 esports any less thrilling!
The first stage of EPL Season 23 will showcase matches between teams that weren’t initially ranked as top contenders. Only half of the 16 participating teams will advance to Stage 2, where they’ll compete against the favorites for a spot in the playoffs. We’ve identified six teams from this opening stage that look particularly promising and are worth watching.
- Stream and schedule
- Six teams to follow
- Results
How to watch ESL Pro League Season 23 Stage 1: Stream
You could watch the first stage of ESL Pro League Season 23 live on ESL Counter-Strike’s official YouTube and Twitch channels.
Schedule
The second season of the EPL begins on March 1st. Teams need to win three matches within the first five rounds to stay in the competition. If a team loses three matches, they will be eliminated.
| Estimated startStream AStream B | 11:30 a.m. CET / 5:30 a.m. ET, Match 1HEROIC vs NRGPARAVISION vs SemperFi |
2 p.m. CET / 8 a.m. ET, Match 1G2 vs GladiatorsAstralis vs Monte |
4:30 p.m. CET / 10:30 a.m. ET, Match 1NiP vs LegacyFUT vs M80 |
7 p.m. CET / 1 p.m. ET, Match 1Liquid vs Passion UA3DMAX vs paiN Gaming |
Six teams to follow at Stage 1 of ESL Pro League Season 23
The players in this stage of the tournament are noteworthy for various reasons. A few are strong contenders who could make it to the finals and compete for the championship – they’re popular picks on esports betting sites. Others stand out with their unique energy and exciting approach to CS2.
G2 Esports
It’s surprising to see G2 placed so low in the seeding for EPL Season 23 – they’re expected to easily advance through the first stage. While G2 Esports performed well at IEM Kraków 2026, finishing in the top six, they weren’t able to make it to the playoffs at PGL Cluj-Napoca.
PARAVISION
Despite their past successes – including winning BLAST Bounty Winter 2026 and reaching the grand final of PGL Cluj-Napoca – this team still operates with the mentality of an underdog, making their current Stage 1 seeding less significant.
The first stage of ESL Pro League Season 23 will show whether PARAVISION is a consistently strong team or if their performance in Kraków was just a fluke.
Legacy
Legacy replaced Lucas “lux” Meneghini with Andrei “arT” Piovezan as their team captain this season. However, the change hasn’t led to immediate success, and EPL Season 23 Stage 1 will be a test to see if this Legacy team can still compete at the highest level of Counter-Strike.
Legacy emerged victorious at the CS Asia Championships and achieved several strong finishes throughout 2025. Together with paiN Gaming, they demonstrate that Brazil has more to offer in CS2 than just FURIA.
Team Liquid
Team Liquid is a well-known and popular esports organization. Currently, their performance is inconsistent – they’re capable of strong finishes, like placing in the top 8 at events such as BLAST Bounty Winter 2026, but can also fall short and finish as low as the top 20, as seen in Kraków. The question now is: how will they perform in the first stage of EPL Season 23?
Astralis
Okay, so things have been a rollercoaster with Astralis lately. We lost Magisk and dev1ce, which stung, but the team brought in two new players. It’s been wild – one minute we’re not even making it into BLAST Bounty Winter 2026, and the next we’re fighting for a spot in the top 8 at IEM Kraków 2026. Seriously, they’re keeping us fans on the edge of our seats!
3DMAX
Watching 3DMAX matches is often exciting because the players tend to be very aggressive and take a lot of risks. This bold approach worked well for them in 2025, but they struggled with it in the early tournaments of 2026.
Results of EPL S23 Stage 1
In the first stage of ESL Pro League Season 23, every match was a best-of-three series. After winning three matches, teams advanced to Stage 2, which consisted of five rounds using the Swiss System format.
Round 1
| HEROIC vs NRGPARAVISION vs SemperFi | G2 vs GladiatorsAstralis vs Monte | NiP vs LegacyFUT vs M80 | Liquid vs Passion UA3DMAX vs paiN Gaming |
Round 2
| 1:0 matches | 0:1 matches |
|---|---|
| TBD vs TBD | TBD vs TBD |
| TBD vs TBD | TBD vs TBD |
| TBD vs TBD | TBD vs TBD |
| TBD vs TBD | TBD vs TBD |
Matchups and results of Round 3
| 2:0 matches | 1:1 matches | 0:2 matches |
|---|---|---|
| TBD vs TBD | TBD vs TBD | TBD vs TBD |
| TBD vs TBD | TBD vs TBD | TBD vs TBD |
| TBD vs TBD | ||
| TBD vs TBD |
Round 4
| 2:1 matches | 1:2 matches |
|---|---|
| TBD vs TBD | TBD vs TBD |
| TBD vs TBD | TBD vs TBD |
| TBD vs TBD | TBD vs TBD |
Round 5
| 2:2 matches |
|---|
| TBD vs TBD |
| TBD vs TBD |
| TBD vs TBD |
The championship games for ESL Pro League Season 23 will take place in Stockholm, Sweden, from March 13th to 15th.
So, right after this tournament wraps up, everyone who’s anyone in CS2 esports will be at BLAST Open Spring 2026. It kicks off on March 18th and the final match is scheduled for March 29th – definitely a date to mark on the calendar!
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2026-02-28 18:42