ESL Pro League Season 24 brings 16 CS2 teams to Katowice for $1M tournament

ESL Pro League Season 24 will take place in Katowice, Poland, from October 3 to October 11, bringing together 16 elite Counter-Strike 2 teams competing on LAN for a $1 million USD prize pool.

The tournament represents a significant shift from recent seasons. ESL has condensed the event from roughly three weeks to two weeks and reduced the team count from 24 to 16 to accommodate a fully LAN-based format. The group stage runs October 3-7 using a Swiss-system format with all 16 teams competing for eight playoff spots. Every group-stage match is a best-of-three series.

The playoffs take place October 9-11 at the iconic Spodek Arena, with the top eight teams advancing to a single-elimination bracket. All playoff matches through the third-place match are best-of-three, while the grand final is best-of-five.

Twelve teams received direct invitations based on the August 3 Global Valve Regional Standings, while four teams earned spots by winning ESL Challenger League Season 51 in their respective regions. The 16 competing teams are: Team Spirit, Falcons, MOUZ, 9z, Vitality, Natus Vincere, Legacy, FURIA, BetBoom Team, Aurora Gaming, G2 Esports, PARIVISION, 1win, M80, ShindeN, and TYLOO.

The prize pool splits $300,000 USD in direct player winnings and $700,000 USD in club rewards. The champions will receive $125,000 USD in player prize money plus a $170,000 USD club reward. A Season 24 victory also counts toward the ESL Grand Slam race, which carries its own $1 million USD bonus. All matches will stream on ESL's official Twitch and YouTube channels.