Six teams to follow at EPL S23 Stage 1: Stream, schedule, and results

Season 23 brings changes to the recent traditions of ESL Pro League (EPL). The competition starts with two Swiss System stages as usual, but they happen online. Only the final brackets are played in the LAN environment.

Such a format certainly affects the tournament atmosphere. However, it can’t make Counter-Strike 2 (CS2) esports less exciting!

Stage 1 of EPL S23 features clashes of lower-seeded teams. Only 8 out of 16 can make it to Stage 2 and face the top favorites — for a chance to qualify for the playoffs. We can highlight six early participants, as they are arguably the most interesting to follow.

The official YouTube and Twitch channels of ESL Counter-Strike broadcast the Stage 1 matches of EPL S23.

Stage 1 of EPL Season 23 starts on March 1. Teams should accumulate three wins in five rounds. Losing three matches means elimination.

The participants of this tournament phase are interesting for different reasons. Some can potentially reach the final brackets and even battle for the trophy — they are among the favorites on the esports betting platforms. Others bring special energy and an interesting style to CS2 esports events.

It’s even weird to see G2 seeded at EPL S23 so low — Stage 1 should be a fun walk for a team of this caliber. G2 Esports were in the top 6 at IEM Kraków 2026 but could not reach the playoffs at PGL Cluj-Napoca.

This organization still experiences the traces of being an underdog team, as this Stage 1 seeding is hardly relevant for them. PARAVISION won BLAST Bounty Winter 2026 and were in the grand final at PGL Cluj-Napoca.

Stage 1 of ESL Pro League Season 23 should prove the stability of PARAVISION as top competitors or reconfirm their shaky performance from Kraków.

For this season, Legacy benched Lucas "lux" Meneghini and signed Andrei "arT" Piovezan as their new in-game leader. That move did not bring immediate good results, and EPL S23 Stage 1 is a chance to see if this team is still relevant for top Counter-Strike.

Legacy won the CS Asia Championships and had other decent placements in 2025. Alongside paiN Gaming, they can prove that Brazilian CS2 is not only about FURIA.

It’s an iconic organization with many fans. In its current state, the Liquid roster can reach high placements, like the top 8 at BLAST Bounty Winter 2026, or be way below their own standards, like the top 20 in Kraków. What can they pull off during Stage 1 of EPL S23?

The team signed two new players after losing Emil "Magisk" Reif and Nicolai "dev1ce" Reedtz. From not qualifying for the main event of BLAST Bounty Winter 2026 to being in the top 8 at IEM Kraków 2026 — Astralis keep playing with their fans’ emotions.

It’s pretty fun to watch matches of 3DMAX, as these players are often reckless with their offense, fearless. Such an aggressive playstyle brought good results in 2025, but it was not successful during the first tournaments of 2026.

All rounds of Stage 1 at ESL Pro League Season 23 are under the best-of-three format. With three wins, the team secured spots in Stage 2, which also featured five Swiss System rounds.

The final matches of ESL Pro League Season 23 happen from March 13 to March 15 — in Stockholm, Sweden.

Right after this tournament, all the top CS2 esports teams gather at BLAST Open Spring 2026. This event starts on March 18, with the grand final on March 29.