ESL Pro League Season 22 is a few days away, bringing the latest iteration of ESL’s flagship event to Stockholm, Sweden. There are 24 teams attending in total, with all of the best CS2 teams in the world making sure they don’t miss out on the action.
Before Stage 1 gets underway, we’ve put together some ESL Pro League Season 22 Power Rankings, to see which teams arrive in Stockholm with the best chance of lifting the trophy when all is said and done.
| ESL Pro League Season 22 Power Rankings | |
|---|---|
| Team Name | Power Ranking |
| Team Spirit | 1st |
| The MongolZ | 2nd |
| Vitality | 3rd |
| MOUZ | 4th |
| G2 | 5th |
| FURIA | 6th |
| Aurora | 7th |
| Falcons | 8th |
| NAVI | 9th |
| FaZe Clan | 10th |
| Astralis | 11th |
| GamerLegion | 12th |
| 3DMAX | 13th |
| M80 | 14th |
| B8 | 15th |
| Legacy | 16th |
| Virtus.pro | 17th |
| HEROIC | 18th |
| NRG | 19th |
| TNL | 20th |
| Fluxo | 21st |
| HOTU | 22nd |
| Lynn Vision | 23rd |
| Rooster | 24th |
No clear favorite for the first time in a while
I may have Team Spirit at the top of my ESL Pro League Season 22 Power Rankings, but know that you could essentially interchange any of the top three in any order, on any given day. It’s a sign of the competitiveness at the very top of the competitive CS2 scene right now, although it admittedly makes predictions much harder.
For me, Team Spirit have the edge. While I might argue that they may have flown too close to the sun in replacing zont1x, the consensus is that tN1R will prove a more than adequate replacement, and will represent a firepower upgrade. In a competitive slate defined by fine margins, this could be the difference in pushing Team Spirit over the finish line at ESL Pro League.
But you can’t write off The MongolZ or Vitality, either. The MongolZ keep getting to Grand Finals, and while they do lose them more often than not, the fact that they’re there consistently means that they’re always in with a good shot. And Vitality? Their first half of 2025 was so good, that they’ve effectively bought themselves the benefit of the doubt in these conversations until at least the end of the year. I’d have no arguments with anyone hailing Vitality as the favorites at EPL S22.
Trophy-winners G2 and FURIA stand as outside hopefuls
We’ve been blessed with a diverse set of Tier 1 Counter-Strike 2 event winners in 2025, specifically from June onwards, with Vitality’s drop-off. This has allowed teams like G2 and FURIA to pick up big trophy wins at events you’d previously have given them no chance at.
In those two wins specifically, they did not lift their trophies by default. G2 overcame Vitality in the BLAST Open Fall Final, while FURIA fought The MongolZ to win their trophies. Very legitimate wins, ones that could definitely be replicated at ESL Pro League Season 22.
That’s what makes these two teams such interesting prospects in Stockholm. Not favorites, by any stretch of the imagination, but strong enough to feel like they can have a real run at glory. The competitive ceiling is so high right now. Exciting.
Potential ESL Pro League Season 22 underdogs
But with 24 teams in total, it would be unfair not to discuss some of the underdogs who could make an impact at ESL Pro League Season 22. After all, who doesn’t love an underdog?
First up in the discussion has to be FaZe Clan. It’s presumed that this will be the first event played with Twistzz following his move from Team Liquid, although it’s still not clear who he will replace. Not knowing a few days before is slightly strange, but regardless, Twistzz’s comeback will ensure he takes the headlines at ESL Pro League. Can the team cause a splash on Twistzz’s second FaZe debut?
I also want to highlight Aurora in this category. They’ve been trucking along for a while now, with consistent, solid results but nothing concrete to show for it. If teams like FURIA and G2 get their turn to lift a trophy, then Aurora have to believe they can follow in their same footsteps.
