Spirit defeats M80, advances to ESL Pro League Season 24 playoffs
Team Spirit secured a 2-0 victory over M80 in the decisive Swiss Stage match to qualify for the ESL Pro League Season 24 playoffs.
Team Spirit defeated M80 2-0 in the decisive Swiss Stage match to finish Group Play with a 3-2 record and advance to the ESL Pro League Season 24 playoffs. The ESL Pro League Season 24 Group Play uses a Swiss Bo3 format, where teams with a 2-2 record face a final match where the winner advances with a 3-2 record and the loser is eliminated. Spirit's victory sent them into the single-elimination bracket playoffs, while M80 was eliminated from the tournament.
Spirit won the series in two maps. On Dust2, Spirit's pick, they dominated with a 13-6 scoreline. The team then withstood a more competitive scenario on Cache, M80's pick, closing it out 13-10 to avoid a potential third map on Mirage. Every following series in the playoffs will be an elimination match.
Sh1ro delivers standout performance as Player of the Match
Dmitry 'sh1ro' Sokolov was named Player of the Match for Spirit, driving the team's victory on both maps. He posted impressive individual statistics, serving as the team's main individual force with a 1.43 Rating 3.0. Spirit played both maps with enough stability as a team to secure the win.
| Stat | sh1ro's Performance |
|---|---|
| K-D | 33-21 |
| ADR | 74.9 |
| Rating 3.0 | 1.43 |
Vitality's quarterfinal win sets up playoff bracket
The ESL Pro League Season 24 playoffs ran from Oct. 9 to Oct. 11, featuring quarterfinals, semifinals, and a final day for the third-place and grand final matches. Eight teams made it out of the Swiss rounds and were seeded into the quarterfinals. There, Team Vitality advanced to the semifinals by defeating PARIVISION 2-0.
Team Vitality won their maps decisively. They took Inferno 13-2 against PARI and followed with a 13-10 victory on Dust II to secure the series.
Other teams prepare for upcoming tournaments after Swiss Stage
While Spirit moves to the playoffs, other teams are looking ahead to imminent international competitions. The Thunderpick World Championship runs from Oct. 14 to Oct. 18 and will feature teams like Falcons, FURIA, Legacy, and Aurora Gaming. Following that, the PGL Masters Bucharest 2026, scheduled from Oct. 24 to Oct. 31, will include Vitality, Spirit, NAVI, and MOUZ among its participants.
These teams carry varied recent results into the next phase. Team Vitality won StarSeries Season 20 prior to the ESL playoffs. Team Spirit are the CS2 Esports World Cup 2026 and BLAST Open in Porto champions. Team Falcons are the Cologne Major champions but were still searching for their first tournament victory in the second half of 2026. Aurora Gaming finished second at StarSeries Season 20, losing only to Vitality. FURIA has achieved higher placements at big events but had not claimed a trophy. PARIVISION won BLAST Bounty Winter, and MOUZ won BLAST Bounty Summer and reached the grand final at BLAST Open in Porto.
Spirit gains VRS points and maintains top ranking after Swiss Stage win
Spirit's victory had immediate consequences for the VRS rankings. The team gained 10 points to reach a total of 2004, maintaining their first-place position. Conversely, M80 lost 2 points, dropping to 1533 and falling from 18th to 19th place in the standings. Spirit's victory completed their Swiss Stage with the most positive result possible.
Eugene said: "From the Mushroom Kingdom to Summoner’s Rift, Eugene actively explores the multidimensional world of video games." Spirit will continue in the single elimination bracket playoffs where every following series will be an elimination match.
