ESL Pro League Playoffs to Return to Arenas From Season 23

ESL has announced that its premier event, ESL Pro League, will be moving its Playoffs to an Arena starting with Season 23. The event is already utilizing a new Swiss group format for the ongoing Season 21, with the next significant change arriving in the format in 2026.

ESL Pro League heads to an arena again

For the first time since ESL Pro League Season 10(!), we’ll finally get to see this event held in front of a substantial crowd. For context of how long ago that was, that event was won by a MOUZ team featuring ropz, frozen, and karrigan. Recent studio iterations of ESL Pro League have always had a small crowd for their Grand Finals, but it’s nothing comparable to a stage match.

ESL Pro League Season 23 will be the first EPL held in 2026, with ESL claiming, “we’re committing to hosting the playoffs in front of a live audience in an arena environment in Europe.” Exact location details are yet to be revealed, and “will be released once we’ve concluded the final steps in finalizing the location.”

As a matter of fact, the studio environment will be killed off altogether. According to ESL, Season 23 of Pro League will also take the Stage 1 and 2 Swiss groups online, “played on European servers.” Competing teams will be given all the financial support necessary to participate, including “flights, accommodation, practice rooms, and more” if they make it through to the Playoffs.

ESL’s announcement also saw confirmation of another major change – a best-of-three third-place decider match will be played at ESL Pro League Season 23. I said after PGL Cluj-Napoca that the third-place decider match was going to be the way forward for competitive Counter-Strike, and it’s good to see ESL raise the stakes itself with this great format change.

No more studio farmers?

Some teams have certainly benefitted from ESL Pro League’s studio environment more than others in recent years. The most obvious example is MOUZ, who won both ESL Pro League Seasons 18 and 19. The latest news from ESL may not be as well received by these types of teams, who may struggle more than others in front of a crowd. It’s not just MOUZ in this regard, but they’re pretty much the poster boys for studio players over the last few years.

While studio farmers may be dead, serial onliners are in for a great time in the ESL Pro League Season 23 (and beyond) format. Teams who thrive online will gain a big advantage in the new Stages 1 and 2, which could result in a few wacky Playoff teams from next year.

Still, I believe this represents a big shift towards making ESL Pro League one of the most prestigious events in the Counter-Strike calendar once more. Big prize pools and top opposition will always help, but the studio Finals have undoubtedly taken the shine away from the occasion in the last few years. Competitive Counter-Strike thrives in front of big crowds in massive arenas, and that’s what ESL Pro League will deliver once more from Season 23.