ESL Pro League Season 22: 32 Teams, $850,000, and a Malta Grand Final
Everything about the structure, participants, and format of ESL Pro League S22 — one of the biggest CS2 tournaments of the 2026 season.
ESL Pro League Season 22 kicks off on July 15, 2026, and is set to be one of the largest regular CS2 tournaments of the season. 32 teams from Europe, North and South America, CIS, and Asia will compete for $850,000 in a two-stage format.
Tournament Format
The group stage runs online from July 15 to August 3. 32 teams are split into 4 groups of 8, playing round-robin — two maps against each opponent. The top 2 from each group advance directly to playoffs, while teams finishing 3rd through 6th enter an additional qualification stage.
Playoffs take place August 5–10 in Malta in an offline format. 8 teams compete in BO3 matches, with the grand final as BO5. This is where the bulk of the prize money is contested.
Who's Coming to S22
Direct invites went to top-10 ranked teams based on the previous season's results. Confirmed participants include Team Vitality, FaZe Clan, MOUZ, G2 Esports, Team Spirit, FURIA, Natus Vincere, and Liquid. The remaining 24 slots are filled by regional qualifier winners.
Prize Distribution
| Place | Prize |
|---|---|
| 1st | $250,000 |
| 2nd | $130,000 |
| 3rd–4th | $70,000 |
| 5th–8th | $30,000 |
| 9th–16th (groups) | $7,500 |
What You Need to Know
ESL Pro League is not a Major qualifier, but results feed into the overall HLTV ranking — which is critical for seeding at future tournaments. After IEM Cologne Major, most top teams will be reshuffling their rosters heading into the online stage, adding plenty of drama right from the start.
The season's main event is running in parallel — see our IEM Cologne 2026 Major breakdown, and BLAST Open 2026 kicks off this summer. Follow the bracket in the esport section.
