ESL Pro League Season 23 – Teams, Format, Schedule, Prizes & Fantasy Overview

ESL Pro League Season 23 – Teams, Format, Schedule, Prizes & Fantasy Overview

Teams & Structure

The competition is split into three main phases: two online Swiss stages and a LAN Finals.

Stage 1 – Online Swiss (March 1–5)

16 teams begin here in a best-of-one Swiss format. Some of the notable participants include:

• PARIVISION

• G2

• Astralis

• FUT

• 3DMAX — newly signed misutaaa debuting after roster changes

• Passion UA — featuring newcomer Senzu

• Legacy — featuring arT’s first matches with the squad

• Others: Liquid, NRG, HEROIC, Ninjas in Pyjamas, M80, Monte, Gaimin Gladiators, SemperFi, paiN

The top 8 finishers from Stage 1 advance to Stage 2.

Stage 2 – Online Swiss (March 6–10)

Eight teams are pre-seeded into Stage 2 and await the Stage 1 qualifiers. These include:

• FURIA

• MOUZ

• Spirit

• Natus Vincere

• FaZe

• Aurora

• B8

• The MongolZ

They compete with the top eight from Stage 1 in another best-of-three Swiss bracket. The top 8 from this stage proceed to the LAN Finals.

LAN Finals – Stockholm (March 13–15)

The LAN portion features eight teams in a single-elimination playoff:

• Quarter-finals → Semifinals → Grand Final

• Best-of-three matches until the final, which is best-of-five

• Includes a third-place decider match

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Stage 1 Match Schedule

On March 1, the first day of Stage 1 includes multiple scheduled matches across two streams:

(For the complete full Stage 1 schedule, HLTV provides a detailed match overview.)

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Prize Pool Breakdown

The $1,000,000 total prize is split across stages:

Stage 1 ($39,000 total)

• 1–8 → Advance to Stage 2

• 9–11 → $6,500

• 12–14 → $4,500

• 15–16 → $3,000

Stage 2 ($185,000 total)

• 1–8 → Advance to LAN Finals

• 9–11 → $12,500 + club share: $22,000

• 12–14 → $10,500 + club share: $11,000

• 15–16 → $8,500

LAN Finals ($776,000 total)

• 1st: $100,000 + club share: $150,000

• 2nd: $55,000 + club share: $101,500

• 3rd: $37,500 + club share: $72,500

• 4th: $22,500 + club share: $45,000

• 5–8th: $15,000 + club share: $33,000

Club share rewards additional prize money tied to a team’s long-term performance and viewership contributions.

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Fantasy Game Prizes

A Fantasy team game is live for Stage 1 (no season points awarded for the online portion). The top performers can win CS2 weapon skins:

• 1st: AK-47 | Redline (Field-Tested)

• 2nd: M4A1-S | Solitude (Factory New)

• 3rd: AWP | Fever Dream (Factory New)

• 4–5: M4A4 | Desolate Space (Field-Tested)

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Summary

ESL Pro League S23 combines online Swiss group stages and LAN playoffs in Stockholm, with $1M in total prizes and a competitive global CS2 field. The format aims to balance Swiss qualifying action with high-stakes LAN competition, while the Fantasy game rewards fans as well.

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Title & Meta Description

Title: ESL Pro League Season 23 Detailed Guide – Teams, Format, Schedule & Prizes (2026)

Meta Description: Get the full ESL Pro League Season 23 preview with complete teams list, Swiss format breakdown, opening schedule, prize money distribution, and Fantasy game rewards — all confirmed by HLTV.