ESL Pro League Season 23: Opening Matches Revealed + Context and Background

ESL Pro League Season 23: Opening Matches Revealed + Context and Background

Tournament organizers ESL have officially revealed the opening round pairings for ESL Pro League Season 23 – Stage 1, one of the most anticipated events on the Counter-Strike 2 (CS2) competitive calendar. This stage runs online from March 1 to March 5, 2026, and kicks off with a Swiss-format group stage where 16 teams will battle in best-of-three matches for advancement to later stages. 

The seeding for these first-round matchups was determined using ESL’s Team Selected Seeding system, which uses recent team performance and head-to-head data to rank competitors — including a revised tiebreaker process that relies on the VRS (VLR Ratings System) instead of random methods. 

Key Opening Matches

Among the headline games set for March 1:

• HEROIC vs NRG Esports — A clash of seasoned competitors expected to be a high-tempo affair.

• PARIVISION vs SemperFi — PARIVISION grabbed the top seed and will face the lowest seed, SemperFi, rounding out an intriguing David-vs-Goliath matchup.

• G2 Esports vs Gaimin Gladiators and Astralis vs Monte — Both matches pair established squads against rising opponents, highlighting the depth of the event’s field.

• Ninjas in Pyjamas vs Legacy — Legacy makes their Pro League debut with new in-game leader Andrei “arT” Piovezan following a roster change after recent competition at IEM Krakow. 

• Liquid vs Passion UA — Passion UA will debut with Azbayar “Senzu” Munkhbold, a high-profile addition that creates additional anticipation around this match.

• 3DMAX vs paiN Gaming — After both teams suffered 0-3 exits at the PGL Cluj-Napoca Major, this match offers a chance for redemption and early momentum.

The full first-round schedule is confirmed and will play out entirely in best-of-three format, which promotes competitive consistency over single-map volatility. 

Tournament Format & What’s at Stake

ESL Pro League remains one of the most significant events in the CS2 seasonal cycle, supported by ESL’s broader tournament ecosystem and important ESL Grand Slam VI implications. 

Season 23 retains the familiar Swiss system for Stage 1 and Stage 2, where teams must accumulate wins to advance. From the 16 teams in Stage 1:

• The top 8 teams will advance to Stage 2, where they will be joined by eight pre-qualified squads.

• Matches are all best-of-three, which ensures that teams can’t rely on upsets in one map to advance.

Later in the season, the top performers will qualify for Playoffs held in Stockholm, marking the return of live arena crowds for the concluding portion of the tournament — a fan-pleasing development for one of Counter-Strike’s flagship circuits. 

Participants and Notable Absences

The lineup includes several elite CS2 organizations — but notable absences remain a talking point in the community. Two major teams, Team Vitality and Falcons, declined invites and will not participate in Season 23, creating discussion about competitive balance and the global CS2 ecosystem. 

Teams confirmed to compete (and likely to feature throughout the Swiss stage) include:

• NiP (Ninjas in Pyjamas)

• HEROIC

• G2 Esports

• Astralis

• Liquid

• NRG Esports

• paiN Gaming

• 3DMAX, FUT Esports, Gaimin Gladiators, Monte, SemperFi, PARIVISION, Legacy, Passion UA, and M80 — all complete the 16-team Stage 1 field. 

A range of teams — from seasoned veterans like Astralis to rising organizations — underscores the depth of global talent in CS2 competition. Teams’ approaches to map strategies, roster changes, and tactical meta shifts will be pivotal throughout Stage 1.

Broader Competitive Landscape

ESL Pro League Season 23 sits amid a busy 2026 Counter-Strike tournament schedule that includes majors, S-Tier events, and other international competitions offering high stakes and large prize pools. EUR, NA, and LATAM regions are all active, and performances here’ll influence seeding and invitations for events later in the year. 

This season’s format decisions continue a trend of refined competition formats across top esports events, such as recent adaptations to IEM Cologne Major formats introducing more best-of-three matches in later stages — a move aimed at improving competitive integrity across tournaments.