Team Spirit Qualify for ESL Pro League Season 23 Finals After 2-0 Victory Over G2

Team Spirit defeated G2 2-0 to secure a spot in the ESL Pro League Season 23 Finals, finishing the Stage 2 Swiss group with a perfect 3-0 record. The Russian-led squad booked their ticket to the Annexet Arena playoffs in Stockholm, continuing their strong run in one of the biggest CS2 tournaments of the season.

The victory also places Spirit on the opposite side of the playoff bracket from MOUZ, who had already qualified earlier the same day.

Spirit sweep G2 to stay undefeated in EPL Season 23 Stage 2

The series ended in a clean 2-0 victory for Spirit, but both maps remained competitive.

• Ancient (13-9) – Spirit win G2’s map pick

• Anubis (13-10) – Spirit close the series

Star rifler Danil “donk” Kryshkovets once again led the scoreboard, finishing the series with a 1.44 rating and 97.6 ADR. AWP star Dmitry “sh1ro” Sokolov followed with a 1.33 rating, while Myroslav “zont1x” Plakhotia delivered key rounds on Anubis to secure the victory.

For G2, Álvaro “SunPayus” García was the team’s best performer with a 1.30 rating, but it was not enough to push the series to a decider.

Donk was particularly dominant on Ancient, posting a 1.89 rating, setting the pace for Spirit early in the series.

Spirit’s roster continues to improve

The result highlights the rapid progress of Spirit’s lineup following roster changes earlier in the season.

In a previous interview, Spirit player Andrey “tN1R” Tatarinovich explained that despite appearances, the team needed time to adapt to the new lineup.

“It looks like the old roster with only me as a new player, but in reality it's a full new team.”

The team’s undefeated Stage 2 performance suggests that the lineup is beginning to find its rhythm ahead of the LAN playoffs in Stockholm.

Spirit’s path to the EPL Season 23 Finals

Spirit did not have an easy road to qualification.

Their Stage 2 campaign included a tough opening series against B8, where they had to fight through three maps to secure a 2-1 victory. The win helped build momentum for their qualification match against G2.

By finishing 3-0 in the Swiss format, Spirit became one of the first teams to qualify directly for the ESL Pro League Season 23 Finals at Annexet Arena.

G2 fall short despite strong start

G2 entered the Spirit matchup in strong form after impressive victories earlier in Stage 2.

Their run included:

• 2-0 win over FaZe

• 2-1 victory against NAVI

Against FaZe, G2 delivered a dominant performance, conceding just one round on Dust2 before closing the series on Ancient.

However, Spirit’s disciplined play and strong individual performances stopped G2 from securing an early playoff spot.

G2’s EPL journey has been turbulent

G2 had already survived a difficult Stage 1 earlier in the tournament.

They narrowly qualified for Stage 2 after defeating Ninjas in Pyjamas 2-0, winning:

• Anubis 13-10

• Dust2 16-13

Before that, the team suffered a painful loss to paiN, falling in two overtime maps.

Despite the setbacks, G2 showed signs of improvement under their updated structure.

In a previous interview, Mario “malbsMd” Samayoa praised the new system implemented by coach sAw and in-game leader huNter-.

“It feels like if I die, I have a purpose for dying.”

He also highlighted SunPayus as an important addition to the team, calling him “a really good AWP for the team.”

A growing Spirit vs G2 rivalry in CS2

The matchup between Spirit and G2 has become one of the most interesting rivalries in modern Counter-Strike.

Back in 2024, donk admitted that G2 were a particularly challenging opponent for Spirit.

“Every game we play against them, we become a better team.”

The two teams have traded wins across several major events, including IEM Kraków 2026 and BLAST Open London 2025.

With their latest victory, however, Spirit once again proved they can handle one of the world’s strongest lineups.

What’s next at ESL Pro League Season 23?

With their 3-0 record in Stage 2, Team Spirit advance directly to the ESL Pro League Season 23 LAN Finals in Stockholm, where eight teams will compete for the championship.

G2, meanwhile, will still have additional chances to qualify through the remaining Swiss matches.