All the top teams are here to battle for the $400,000 prize pool and for the ESL Grand Slam VI wins. Thanks to the tournament format, some fresh organizations can pull off impressive upsets.
ESL Pro League Season 22 treats the Counter-Strike 2 (CS2) community to a massive Major-like format. The competition starts with Stage 1, where smaller teams have a chance for a breakthrough. The best players in the world join the party with Stage 2. In both of these stages, we can witness a lot of matches thanks to the Swiss format.
In this article on esports.gg, you’ll find all the important details about the Swiss Stages at CS2 ESL Pro League Season 22. Watch the stream, check out the schedule and matchups, review the favorites analysis, and follow the results. Who advances to the Playoffs?
Stream: How to watch Swiss Stage matches at ESL Pro League Season 22
Schedule and format
The Swiss Stages run for around two weeks at the CS2 esports event, ESL Pro League Season 22. Here is the schedule.
- Sept. 28 – Oct. 2: Stage 1. The 16 invited and qualified teams play through the Swiss System matches. The top 8 advance further.
- Oct. 4 – Oct. 8: Stage 2. The 8 invited teams (with the highest VRS Global standings) join the 8 teams from Stage 1. It’s again a series of Swiss format matches. The top 8 teams advance to the Playoffs.
With Stage 1 being over, here are the matchups and schedule of Stage 2 Day 2.
Estimate start time | 1:30 p.m. CEST / 7:30 a.m. ET NAVI 2:0 The MongolZ 3:13 on Nuke 12:16 on Ancient | 4 p.m. CEST / 10 a.m. ET G2 0:2 3DMAX 11:13 on Inferno 6:13 on Dust II | 6:30 p.m. CEST / 12:30 p.m. ET Aurora 1:2 FaZe 8:13 on Mirage 13:2 on Train 10:13 on Dust II |
Stage 1 teams, matchups, and results at ESL Pro League Season 22
Mainly, lower-level teams join ESL Pro League Season 22 with Stage 1. Still, there are some pretty strong rosters and even tournament winners among these participants.
To advance to the next stage, the teams should achieve three wins, and they have five rounds for this. The image below shows matchups and results in each Stage 1 round.
Round 1 matches
Astralis 2:1 Fluxo 13:6 on Mirage 9:13 on Inferno 13:2 on Nuke G2 2:0 Rooster 13:9 on Overpass 13:3 on Inferno | GL 2:0 NRG 13:11 on Train 13:9 on Overpass 3DMAX 1:2 IC Esports 16:13 on Ancient 9:13 on Nuke 4:13 Train | FURIA 0:2 HOTU 8:13 on Overpass 9:13 on Dust II Legacy 1:2 B8 13:4 on Dust II 6:13 on Ancient 2:13 on Train | HEROIC 1:2 M8 6:13 on Nuke 13:7 on Mirage 12:16 on Ancient M80 1:2 ENCE 10:13 on Dust II 13:9 on Mirage 8:13 Ancient |
Round 2 matches
1:0 Matches | 0:1 Matches |
|---|---|
| B8 1:2 HOTU 13:7 on Overpass 10:13 on Mirage 2:13 on Ancient | 3DMAX 2:0 Rooster 13:10 on Overpass 13:3 on Inferno |
| Astralis 1:2 ENCE 16:13 on Ancient 2:13 on Nuke 7:13 on Overpass | M80 0:2 HEROIC 4:13 on Dust II 9:13 on Overpass |
| GL 1:2 IC Esports 3:13 on Ancient 22:20 on Overpass 1:13 on Dust II | Legacy 2:1 NRG 6:13 on Mirage 13:8 on Nuke 13:5 on Dust II |
| G2 1:2 M8 13:2 on Inferno 11:13 on Mirage 7:13 on Ancient | FURIA 2:0 Fluxo 13:8 on Inferno 13:7 on Mirage |
Round 3 matches
2:0 Matches | 1:1 Matches | 0:2 Matches |
|---|---|---|
| HOTU 2:0 Ence 13:4 on Dust II 13:8 on Ancient | G2 1:2 B8 8:13 on Mirage 13:7 on Dust II 2:13 on Ancient | M80 2:0 Rooster 13:6 on Mirage 13:3 on Inferno |
| IC Esports 2:1 M8 8:13 on Nuke 13:10 on Mirage 13:11 on Ancient | Astralis 0:2 GL 13:0 on Nuke 13:9 on Overpass | NRG 0:2 Fluxo 8:13 on Nuke 11:13 on Train |
| FURIA 0:2 Legacy 9:13 on Dust II 11:13 on Mirage | ||
| HEROIC 0:2 3DMAX 8:13 on Dust II 9:13 on Inferno |
- HOTU is the first team to advance to Stage 2. They won the Asian qualifier to be here, and then HOTU defeated FURIA, B8, and ENCE.
- IC Esports advanced to Stage 2 of ESL Pro League S22 with wins over 3DMAX, GL, and M8.
- Rooster and NRG left the tournament after three rounds.
Round 4 matches
2:1 Matches | 1:2 Matches |
|---|---|
| GL 2:0 B8 13:9 on Ancient 13:11 on Inferno | G2 2:1 Fluxo 11:13 on Ancient 13:2 on Inferno 13:4 on Mirage |
| 3DMAX 2:1 ENCE 11:13 on Dust II 13:5 on Nuke 16:14 on Ancient | FURIA 2:0 M80 13:8 on Overpass 13:7 on Inferno |
| Legacy 0:2 M8 11:13 on Ancient 4:13 on Mirage | Astralis 2:1 HEROIC 13:10 on Mirage 4:13 on Inferno 13:2 on Nuke |
- GamerLegion, 3DMAX, and M8 advance to Stage 2.
- Fluxo HEROIC, and M80 are out of this CS2 esports tournament.
Round 5 matches
Six teams play in this round, and only three of them can advance. Here is the stream of the Stage 1 final day.
FURIA 2:1 B8 5:13 on Mirage 13:8 on Inferno 13:9 on Overpass | Astralis 2:1 Legacy 7:13 on Inferno 13:11 on Overpass 13:3 on Ancient | G2 2:0 ENCE 13:9 on Overpass 13:5 on Train |
- G2 finally confirmed their status of the favorites and advanced to Stage 2. They kicked ENCE out of ESL Pro League Season 22.
- With some difficulties, Astralis made it to Stage 2 as well. Their Round 5 opponents were Legacy.
- FURIA defeated B8 in the decider match. Despite being one of the tournament favorites, the team had unnecessary difficulties during Stage 1.
Stage 2 at CS2 ESL Pro League S22
Some of the top Counter-Strike 2 teams are invited directly to Stage 2 of ESL Pro League S22. The matchups were decided on Oct. 3.
The Swiss System continues at the tournament, so three wins in five rounds are needed to earn a Playoffs spot. Three losses mean elimination.
Round 1: HOTU defeat The MongolZ. Vitality lose to M8!
MOUZ 2:0 GL 13:9 on Overpass 13:9 on Nuke Spirit 1:2 IC Esports 13:4 on Ancient 4:13 on Nuke 11:13 on Mirage | Falcons 2:0 Astralis 13:8 on Inferno 13:7 on Mirage The MongolZ 1:2 HOTU 8:13 on Overpass 13:10 on Mirage 9:13 on Ancient | Aurora 0:2 NAVI 9:13 on Nuke 10:13 on Dust II Vitality 0:2 M8 6:13 on Nuke 11:13 on Train | G2 W / FF FaZe* FURIA 2:0 3DMAX 13:6 on Nuke 13:8 on Dust II |
- The biggest surprises of these round are two big upsets. First, HOTU defeated The MongolZ. Then, M8 won over Team Vitality.
- FaZe Clan benched rain right before the tournament, and now they couldn't field a valid lineup. The team decided to forfeit their match against G2.
Round 2: Vitality recover with a blast! The MongolZ lose again
1:0 Matches | 0:1 Matches |
|---|---|
| Falcons 2:0 NAVI 13:2 on Nuke 16:14 on Ancient | MongolZ 0:2 IC Esports 9:13 on Dust II 11:13 on Mirage |
| MOUZ 2:0 M8 13:4 on Inferno 13:11 on Mirage | Aurora 2:1 Astralis 8:13 on Nuke 13:9 on Train 13:9 on Overpass |
| Spirit 2:0 HOTU 13:7 on Overpass 13:6 on Dust II | Vitality 2:0 GL 13:3 on Overpass 13:1 on Dust II |
| FURIA 0:2 G2 11:13 on Train 8:13 on Dust II | Faze 0:2 3DMAX 9:13 on Train 11:13 on Dust II |
- The MongolZ are down to 0:2 after this round. They lost to underdogs again: Inner Circle Esports.
- Team Vitality finally woke up and smashed their second opponents at ELS Pro League S22. That was a real threat of a 13:0, but GamerLegion managed to take one round on Dust II.
- FaZe suddenly returned rain into the active roster: but they still lost their match against 3DMAX.
Round 3: Falcons and Spirit to the Playoffs! First eliminations of Stage 2
2:0 Matches | 1:1 Matches | 0:2 Matches |
|---|---|---|
| MOUZ 1:2 Falcons 9:13 on Ancient 13:3 on Inferno 7:13 on Nuke | Vitality 2:0 HOTU 13:8 on Overpass 13:5 on Dust II | The MongolZ 2:1 GL 13:10 on Inferno 11:13 on Ancient 13:7 on Nuke |
| Spirit 2:0 G2 13:8 on Dust II 13:9 on Mirage | 3DMAX 2:1 NAVI 13:11 on Inferno 11:13 on Train 8:13 on Nuke | Astralis 0:2 FaZe 7:13 on Ancient 4:13 on Dust II |
| M8 0:2 Aurora 3:13 on Nuke 10:13 on Train | ||
| IC Esports 0:2 FURIA 2:13 on Mirage 2:13 on Overpass |
- With three losses, Astralis left the tournament. GL were really close to eliminating The MongolZ but couldn't survuve Nuke. GamerLegion is also out.
- Team Spirit is the first to advance to the Playoffs at CS2 ESL Pro League Season 22. They marched through Stage 2 with three wins: over Inner Circle, HOTU, and G2.
- Team Falcons also had a perfect run in Stage 2. After the wins over Astralis, NAVI, and MOUZ, they are in the Playoffs.
Round 4: Vitality and MOUZ to the EPL Season 22 Playoffs!
2:1 Matches | 1:2 Matches |
|---|---|
| FURIA 2:1 Aurora 13:3 on Inferno 9:13 on Mirage 16:12 on Overpass | NAVI 2:0 HOTU 13:7 on Ancient 13:9 on Train |
| 3DMAX 0:2 MOUZ 5:13 on Inferno 8:13 on Overpass | MongolZ 2:0 M8 13:8 on Inferno 22:19 on Mirage |
| Vitality 2:0 G2 13:2 on Inferno 16:13 on Mirage | FaZe 2:0 IC 13:7 on Ancient 13:8 on Nuke |
- The Cinderella story of three successful underdog teams from Stage 1 ended here. M8 delivered quite an overtime versus The MongolZ! HOTO were close to comeback with a heat win-streak in the second half on Train. Inner Circle had some really good moments, but FaZe over-classed them.
- MOUZ and Vitality advanced to where they belong, to the EPL S22 Playoffs. It required a great recovery and comeback from Team Vitality to secure Mirage over G2 Esports.
- FURIA has had difficulties so far in the tournament, and Aurora weren't easy opponents.
Round 5, the final
For the six remaining teams, it's the final chance to qualify for the EPL Season 2022 Playoffs. The Round 5 stream is here.
2:2 Matches |
|---|
| G2 0:2 3DMAX 11:13 on Inferno 6:13 on Dust II |
| NAVI 2:0 The MongolZ 3:13 on Nuke 12:16 on Ancient |
| Aurora 1:2 FaZe 8:13 on Mirage 13:2 on Train 10:13 on Dust II |
- The MongolZ being eliminated is one of the biggest surprises of EPL Season 22 Stage 2! In the qualification match against NAVI, The MongolZ looked helpless on Nuke. They had good periods on Ancient and even reached the match point first — NAVI did not let them take anything after that.
- 3DMAX defeated G2 Esports, which proved a shaky state of G2 and big potential of 3DMAX.
- FaZe barely survived the match against Aurora. The lost on Train with a devastating 2:13 and then bounced back in a very close battle on Dust II.
Playoff matchups
Here are the starting brackets of the ESL Pro League Season 22 Playoffs.
Talent reveal
The image below highlights all the talent who work during the ESL Pro League S22 streams.
Top Contenders: A look at the ESL Pro League S22 favorites
The tournament is long, and you can get interested in experimenting with CS2 esports betting: we have an article specifically about ESL Pro League Season 22. Always approach this industry with caution and safety.
Stage 1
In Stage 1, we can see a few big names.
- G2 Esports — The winners of BLAST Open Fall 2025 in London.
- FURIA — The winners of FISSURE Playground #2. It feels like the addition of FalleN to the roster strengthened the team substantially.
Among other teams, it’s interesting to follow the current progress of Astralis, specifically after the return of Emil “Magisk” Reif. M80, 3DMAX, and HEROIC are quite capable of upsets.
Stage 2
In Stage 2, the true tournament favorites join the competition.
- Team Vitality — Fans anticipate their recovery to the tournament-winning form. The Austin Major winners can surely deliver that!
- MOUZ — After a somewhat disappointing result at BLAST Open Fall 2025, Dennis “sycrone” Nielsen, the coach, talked about organizational changes for the team. MOUZ have been coming really close to big CS2 esports trophies, and they absolutely deserve to win one.
- The MongolZ have been showing us a rollercoaster of performance, but they steadily progress with their results. The team won the Counter-Strike 2 EWC 2025.
NAVI, Team Spirit, and Team Falcons are also the usual tournament favorites, but their recent results do not support this reputation.
- Spirit comes to this event with more roster changes: Andrey “tN1R” Tatarinovich replaced Myroslav “zont1x” Plakhotia.
- NAVI won StarSeries Fall 2025, which was good cash but not a proper competition for this team.
- Team Falcons brings together big celebrities and the most prominent young players. Still, the legendary coach Danny “zonic” Sørensen can’t make this machine work flawlessly and with stable results.
The Playoffs of ESL Pro League Season 22 will start on Oct. 10. This stage features single-elimination brackets with a third-place match. The grand final will be played on Oct. 12.
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