chopper: ESL Pro League Season 23 Was “Spirit’s Tournament” — But Astralis Eliminated Them in CS2 Playoffs

Team Spirit entered ESL Pro League Season 23 as one of the biggest favorites, but their playoff run ended earlier than expected. Former Spirit captain Leonid “chopper” Vishnyakov shared his thoughts on the team’s surprising elimination, saying the event initially looked like an easy path to the trophy for the Russian CS2 squad.

Speaking during a livestream, chopper admitted that before the playoffs began, he believed the tournament was practically made for Spirit to win.

“For me, this was a tournament that Spirit were supposed to take. The bracket looked really good for them,” chopper said.

However, the reality of the CS2 playoffs turned out very different.

Astralis Upset Spirit in ESL Pro League Season 23 Quarter-Finals

Spirit’s title hopes ended in the quarter-finals of ESL Pro League Season 23 after a convincing 2–0 victory by Astralis.

The Danish organization dominated the series:

Dust2 — 13:6

Ancient — 13:7

Astralis’ AWPer Love “phzy” Smidebrant delivered one of the best performances of the series, finishing with a 1.76 rating.

After the match, phzy credited the home crowd in Stockholm for the standout performance.

“You could really feel the Swedish support. Maybe that’s why I had a life game,” phzy said.

The result eliminated one of the tournament favorites and completely reshaped the ESL Pro League S23 playoff bracket.

Aurora’s Breakthrough Run to the ESL Pro League Final

After defeating Spirit, Astralis advanced to the semi-finals, where they faced Aurora. Despite taking the opening map, Astralis eventually lost the series 1–2.

Aurora’s victory was particularly notable because the team had not reached a semi-final at any top-tier event in 2026 before ESL Pro League Season 23.

Their run continued into the grand final, making it one of the biggest breakthrough performances of the CS2 season.

NAVI Defeat Aurora to Win ESL Pro League Season 23

On the other side of the bracket, Natus Vincere (NAVI) defeated FUT Esports in a tense semi-final to secure their place in the final.

The series included a decisive moment from Drin “makazze” Shaqiri, who delivered a crucial ace on Dust2.

“It could have been easier, but we made things complicated for ourselves,” makazze said after the match.

In the grand final, NAVI defeated Aurora 3–1 to claim the ESL Pro League Season 23 title.

AWPer Ihor “w0nderful” Zhdanov played a key role in the victory, delivering several decisive rounds throughout the series.

Immediately after lifting the trophy, Valeriy “b1t” Vakhovskiy joked during the broadcast:

“No Vitality — easy win.”

The win marked NAVI’s first tier-one CS2 trophy since IEM Rio 2024.

makazze Wins ESL Pro League Season 23 MVP

Despite NAVI’s overall victory, makazze earned the HLTV MVP award for ESL Pro League Season 23.

It was the first MVP medal of his career and also a historic achievement for his home country.

“I feel like I’m writing history,” makazze said. “I hope this inspires more players from Kosovo.”

Astralis Secure Third Place

Astralis ended the tournament on a positive note by defeating FUT Esports in the third-place match.

Team captain Rasmus “HooXi” Nielsen said the result shows the team is moving in the right direction.

“It feels good to prove some people wrong,” HooXi commented after the win.

Why Spirit’s Early Exit Was So Surprising

Spirit’s elimination came as a shock because the team looked dominant earlier in the event.

During Stage 2 of ESL Pro League Season 23, Spirit:

Finished 3-0 in their group

Entered the playoffs as a top contender

Avoided several expected title rivals in the bracket

That is why chopper believes the tournament was initially Spirit’s to lose.

Instead, Astralis’ upset, Aurora’s breakthrough run, and NAVI’s championship victory turned ESL Pro League Season 23 into one of the most unpredictable CS2 tournaments of the year.