ESL tournaments to feature third-place matches

Tournament operator ESL has announced an update to the format of its Counter-Strike 2 tournaments – a clause on holding a third-place match has been added to the regulations. The changes will come into force at ESL Pro League Season 22. The official statement was published on the X social media.

With the continued evolution of the competitive landscape and teams vying for points counting towards their Valve Regional Standings we're today adding third-place decider matches to previously announced tournaments starting at ESL Pro League Season 22.

The competitions in question are: ESL Pro League Season 22, IEM Chengdu 2025 and IEM Kraków 2026. The third-place match will play out on the final day of each event. At the same time, show-matches have been removed from the schedule of the aforementioned tournaments.

ESL Pro League Season 22 will be held from September 27 to October 12, 2025 in Stockholm, Sweden. The prize pool of the competition will amount to $400,000 – it will be divided among 24 squads.

Origin: pro.eslgaming.com