FalleN retires at the end of 2026, and his last event at Katowice’s Spodek arena starts on Friday, October 9. That day FURIA play their ESL Pro League Season 24 quarterfinal. They got there by going 3-2 in the Swiss stage, and the run ended with a clean 2-0 over 9z on October 7. The farewell is a good story. Whether it ends with a trophy depends on which FURIA shows up in Katowice.
| ESL Pro League Season 24 | Details |
|---|---|
| Playoffs | October 9 to 11, 2026, Spodek, Katowice |
| Format | 8-team single elimination, Bo3, Bo5 grand final |
| Prize pool | $1,000,000 |
| FURIA’s quarterfinal | Friday, October 9, vs [OPPONENT, confirm on HLTV] |
How FURIA reached the Spodek
FURIA’s path through the Swiss stage was a mixed one. They went 3-2 and won both of their elimination-style matches.
| Date | Opponent | Result | Maps |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 3 | BetBoom | Won 2-0 | Mirage 13-5, Cache 16-14 |
| Oct 4 | MOUZ | Lost 0-2 | Cache 4-13, Mirage 7-13 |
| Oct 5 | PARIVISION | Won 2-1 | Ancient 7-13, Mirage 13-5, Inferno 13-10 |
| Oct 6 | Aurora | Lost 1-2 | Dust2 13-8, Mirage 9-13, Nuke 9-13 |
| Oct 7 | 9z | Won 2-0 | Nuke 13-7, Inferno 13-3 |
That’s two convincing wins, a comeback, and two losses. The losses are the worrying part.
Who really won the 9z match
HLTV’s report built its story around FalleN, and he earned the attention. He went 27-15 with a 1.37 rating and hit a USP triple kill on Inferno after FURIA led 9-3 at the half. Brazilian outlet Draft5 led with molodoy instead. He finished 36-14 with a 2.01 rating and 110 ADR, plus a ninja defuse on Nuke.
Both outlets have a point. For us, the second one matters more for Friday. FalleN is 35 and runs the calls, with molodoy holding the AWP. FURIA reach their ceiling when molodoy’s numbers look like they did against 9z. FalleN’s job is to set him up, and that is mostly what he did on Wednesday.
The FURIA that lost to MOUZ is still in this bracket
The MOUZ series is hard to look past. FURIA won four rounds on Cache and seven on Mirage. Draft5 said the team looked “disorganized and unfocused” for the whole series.
Two days later, Aurora beat them 2-1. FalleN had a 0.84 rating and 60.8 ADR that day, and Aurora’s Wicadia took over Nuke with a 1.51 rating. Aurora are also in the playoffs. So far this event, that is the only top-eight team FURIA have played, and they lost.
Their map results explain part of the swing:
| Map | FURIA’s record at EPL S24 |
|---|---|
| Inferno | 2-0 |
| Dust2 | 1-0 |
| Mirage | 2-2 |
| Cache | 1-1 |
| Nuke | 1-1 |
| Ancient | 0-1 |
Inferno looks like their safest pick. FURIA have played Mirage four times already, so any playoff opponent has plenty of recent footage to study.
FalleN has said goodbye before
This is not the first time FalleN has talked about stopping. In July 2022 we reported his plan to retire from CS:GO in 2023. At IEM Cologne that year he said, “I want to play for maybe a year and a half, but that’s it.” He kept going instead. A year later he signed for FURIA, and in late 2025 that roster won three titles, including IEM Chengdu, where they beat Vitality in the final.
This time there is a date. On stage at IEM Rio in April, he announced he would retire at the end of 2026, telling fans he would “do other things within CS with you all” afterwards.
What the Spodek means for FalleN
FalleN’s best Spodek result we could confirm is a Major semifinal. At the IEM Katowice Major 2019, his MIBR side reached the playoffs and lost 2-0 to Astralis in the semis (16-14 on Overpass, 16-7 on Inferno). Astralis went on to win that Major.
This is also the first time ESL Pro League has held its finals at the Spodek, according to ESL. FalleN still has a few events left in 2026, so this is not his final match. It is his last trip to this arena as a player, and HLTV called it his last chance to lift a trophy there.
Our verdict
FURIA can win a quarterfinal. To win the title, they would need a Bo3 quarterfinal, a Bo3 semifinal and a Bo5 final, all in three days, against the best teams in the world. This week they have not beaten a team at that level. The version that beat 9z could do it, and the IEM Chengdu run proves this roster has done it before. The version MOUZ beat would go out on Friday.
Our expectation is a close quarterfinal, with Inferno as FURIA’s most important pick. A title would be a surprise. Whatever happens, the crowd in Katowice will give FalleN the send-off his 20-plus years in Counter-Strike deserve.
FAQ
When is FalleN retiring?
FalleN will retire from professional Counter-Strike at the end of 2026. He announced it on stage at IEM Rio in April 2026 and is playing out the year with FURIA. He has said he plans to stay involved in CS in other ways after he stops playing.
When is FURIA’s next match at ESL Pro League Season 24?
FURIA play their quarterfinal on Friday, October 9, 2026, at the Spodek in Katowice. The playoffs are single elimination, with Bo3 matches and a Bo5 grand final on October 11. FURIA qualified with a 3-2 Swiss record after beating 9z 2-0.
What was FalleN’s best result at the Spodek?
The best result we could confirm is a semifinal at the IEM Katowice Major 2019 with MIBR. They lost 2-0 to Astralis, who went on to win the Major. ESL Pro League Season 24 is his last chance to win a trophy at the arena.
How many Majors has FalleN won?
FalleN has won two Majors, both in 2016: MLG Columbus with Luminosity Gaming and ESL One Cologne with SK Gaming. He was HLTV’s second-best player of 2016.
