CS2 ESL Pro League S23 Finals 2026 Playoffs Predictions

The Counter-Strike 2 ESL Pro League Season 23 Finals playoffs begin on March 13. Team Spirit and MOUZ enter the final stage as the main favourites. Eight teams remain in the tournament, and the playoff bracket leaves no room for mistakes. One loss means elimination.

The total prize pool is $776,000. The winning team will take $100,000 together with a $150,000 Club Share. Below is the key information about the playoffs along with the main predictions. 

The first two stages of the tournament produced several surprises. Because of that, not all the strongest teams managed to reach the playoffs. PARIVISION and FURIA both failed to qualify, even though before the tournament they were widely considered potential finalists.

With Vitality and Falcons absent from this event, the path to the trophy looks much more open. So far in 2026 the biggest titles have been won by PARIVISION and Vitality.

Looking at the remaining teams, two names clearly stand out. Team Spirit and MOUZ enter the playoffs with the strongest chances of winning the tournament.

Legacy could still cause problems for some opponents. Their quarterfinal against Aurora is very competitive. Still, even if Legacy wins that match, the likely semifinal opponent would be Spirit. Beating Spirit in a Best Of 3 series would be a much tougher challenge.

For Legacy, reaching the semifinals and playing for third place would already be a very strong result.

Even before the tournament started, Team Spirit looked like one of the strongest contenders to win ESL Pro League Season 23. The roster made several adjustments before the 2026 season and the team needed some time to fully settle into its roles.

Spirit skipped PGL Cluj-Napoca, the previous big tournament on the calendar. That decision gave them extra preparation time. Many other esports top teams played in that event and had less time to focus specifically on ESL Pro League.

There is another factor that often comes up when discussing Spirit. The team has historically performed very well in tournaments where Vitality is not present. That situation once again applies here.

Their path to the final looks manageable. Astralis, Legacy or Aurora could cause problems on a good day, but if Spirit performs at its usual level, they should remain in control of those matches.

MOUZ has recently faced some criticism from fans, yet the results tell a slightly different story. The team continues to reach the later stages of tournaments on a regular basis. Their biggest problem remains the same opponent, which is Vitality.

At IEM Krakow, MOUZ lost to Vitality in the semifinals and later lost the third-place match against Spirit. At PGL Cluj-Napoca they once again reached the semifinals before losing to PARIVISION. This time they secured third place by defeating The MongolZ.

Reaching the final stages has become a consistent outcome for this roster. Looking at the bracket in ESL Pro League S23, missing the final would be a real surprise.

MOUZ should be the favourite against FUT and also against either Natus Vincere or The MongolZ. The biggest challenge would come in a potential final against Spirit.

ESL Pro League Season 23 started on March 1. Stage 1 featured 16 teams competing for eight spots in Stage 2. The same format continued in Stage 2, where another 16 teams fought for the remaining eight places in the playoffs. 

Both stages were played online. The playoffs move to LAN and will be played in Stockholm in front of a live crowd.

The bracket follows a Single Elimination format. Once a team loses, the tournament is over for them. All matches are played in Best Of 3 format, while the Grand Final will be a Best Of 5 series. Teams that lose in the semifinals will still play a match for third place.

The ESL Pro League Season 23 Finals playoffs begin on March 13, while the Grand Final will be played on March 15. All quarterfinal matches take place on the same day.

Stage 1 and Stage 2 both produced unexpected results. That is not unusual for online matches where some of the strongest teams are not always fully focused. PARIVISION is a good example. The team entered the tournament shortly after finishing second in another event where they lost to Vitality in the final.

LAN playoffs usually look different. When the final stage begins, the strongest teams tend to raise their level. The playoff format also increases the pressure. There is no second chance. One loss and the tournament run is over.

For betting purposes at online betting websites, the two most interesting teams remain Team Spirit and MOUZ. Both have a realistic path to the final. Because of that, they are strong options in both the quarterfinal and semifinal matches.

Vitality, currently considered the strongest team in the world, is not playing in this tournament. Falcons are also missing. FURIA failed to reach the playoffs. The MongolZ will compete without their coach, who was unable to travel to Stockholm. With Vitality absent, the rest of the field has a rare opportunity to win a major trophy.