The first two stages of ESL Pro League Season 23 have already concluded, determining the eight teams that will compete in the tournament’s playoff stage in Stockholm. The online portion of the event featured two Swiss stages with 16 teams each, where all matches were played in a best-of-three format. In the first stage, teams fought for spots in Stage 2, while the second stage determined the participants of the final LAN playoffs.
Stage 1 took place from March 1 to March 5 and served as the starting point of the tournament for 16 teams. In the Swiss format, teams needed to secure three wins to advance or suffer three losses to be eliminated. The best performers in this stage were Legacy and FUT Esports, who finished undefeated and advanced directly to the next stage. FUT Esports hold a special place for Ukrainian fans, as this roster previously played as the Natus Vincere academy team before being acquired by the Turkish organization not long ago. Their progress at this tournament has been quite noticeable. PaiN, Monte, Astralis, HEROIC, G2, and 3DMAX also managed to qualify for Stage 2, while the remaining teams were eliminated from the event.
In Stage 2, which took place from March 6 to March 10, the eight teams from the first stage were joined by squads that received direct invites, including Natus Vincere, Team Spirit, MOUZ, FaZe Clan, FURIA, The MongolZ, Aurora Gaming, and B8. The level of competition increased significantly at this stage, as it was here that the playoff participants were determined. In the end, the playoff spots were secured by Team Spirit, MOUZ, Natus Vincere, The MongolZ, Legacy, Aurora Gaming, FUT Esports, and Astralis.
FaZe Clan were unable to deliver a strong result and currently find themselves in a rather difficult situation. There is even a risk that the team might miss a Major for the first time, although it is still too early to completely write them off. FURIA also failed to show the expected level of play, which came as a surprise to many. From a team that currently sits in second place in the world ranking, many expected at least a deep run toward the final. However, before the tournament it became known that their captain, Gabriel 'FalleN' Toledo, would not be able to attend the arena due to an important meeting in Brazil. If the team had reached the playoffs, he would have been replaced by the coach, but it seems that this situation also affected the team’s overall performance. The Ukrainian club B8 continues to search for consistency. The team managed to secure only one victory at this stage before being eliminated from the tournament. The roster clearly needs to regroup and start winning matches more consistently, as their chances of qualifying for the upcoming Major already look quite low and could become even slimmer.
Thus, we now have the list of teams that will compete in the playoff stage of the tournament. Almost all of these teams already have a practically guaranteed slot at the Major, so the main battle will be focused on the championship title. The winner of the tournament will receive $100,000 in prize money for the players, as well as $150,000 in Club Share — funds that are paid directly to the organization.
As a reminder, the top 4 teams of VALORANT Masters Santiago 2026 have been decided
