The playoffs for the ESL Pro League Season 23 are finally here, and we have the 9 teams who will be setting the stage for an intense showdown. With the conclusion of the group stage played online, we will finally be in Stockholm for the LAN playoffs, where the competition will be intense, and fans will be brutal.
ESL Pro League S23 Playoffs Format
The playoffs will feature single-elimination matches, making room for error nonexistent. All playoff matches will be played in B03 format, while only the Grand Finals will get the B05 treatment, as has been the case with all the Grand Finals in recent events. The matches and the timings are as mentioned below:
| Date | Match | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 13/03/2026 | The MongolZ vs Natus Vincere | 14:30 |
| 13/03/2026 | Legacy vs Aurora | 17:45 |
| 13/03/2026 | MOUZ vs FUT | 21:00 |
| 14/03/2026 | Astralis vs Team Spirit | 00:15 |
| 14/03/2026 | ESL Pro League Season 23 Finals – Semi-final #1 | 20:15 |
| 14/03/2026 | ESL Pro League Season 23 Finals – Semi-final #2 | 23:30 |
| 15/03/2026 | ESL Pro League Season 23 Finals – 3rd Place Decider | 18:00 |
| 15/03/2026 | ESL Pro League Season 23 Finals – Grand Final | 21:30 |
Key Quarterfinal Matchups
It goes without saying that the NAVI–MongolZ rivalry has been carried over to the quarter finals. Both teams faced each other in several tournaments in 2025, with the Asian side winning most of the clashes, including as recently as PGL Cluj Napoca 2026, but with NAVI in better form, this will be their chance to take revenge, making it one of the highlight matches of the playoffs.
As for the rest of them, all of the matches have a clear favourite, and unless there is an upset, the results are highly predictable in nature.
ESL Pro League is not an event that all the top teams have an eye on, given its importance in the ESL Grand Slam. Vitality, continuing their stellar form from last year, will be eyeing back-to-back Grand Slams while others try to dethrone them.
