ESL Pro League Season 24 has begun in Katowice, Poland, bringing 16 CS2 teams together for a $1 million tournament. While Team Spirit enters the event after a strong run of results, Natus Vincere arrives with additional pressure as the team fights for valuable VRS points ahead of the PGL Singapore Major.

Spirit Headlines the Katowice Field

The tournament runs from October 3 to 11, with all 16 teams competing in a LAN format. The opening stage uses a Swiss system, where teams need three wins to reach the playoffs, while three losses eliminate them. The final eight teams will compete at Spodek Arena from October 9–11.

Spirit comes into the event after winning the Esports World Cup and BLAST Open Porto, putting the team among the main contenders heading into Katowice. Vitality, MOUZ, Falcons and G2 are also among the teams expected to challenge near the top of the standings.

NAVI Enters With Major Qualification Pressure

For Natus Vincere, ESL Pro League Season 24 carries importance beyond the tournament itself.

NAVI currently sits 24th in the European VRS and has only two tournaments remaining to improve its position before the Singapore Major invitation cutoff. The team has struggled during the second half of the season, with early exits at the Esports World Cup, BLAST Open Porto and StarLadder StarSeries Fall.

Young NAVI player Drin “makazze” Shaqiri said the team is aware of the Major situation but is trying not to focus on it during matches.

“If you think about it, you cannot focus on the tournament, because you will have a lot of pressure.”

Instead, makazze said NAVI is concentrating on playing its best CS2 and taking the tournament one match at a time.

NAVI Worked on Individual Mistakes

NAVI spent more than 10 days practicing from home ahead of ESL Pro League rather than holding a traditional bootcamp.

According to makazze, the team focused on fixing individual mistakes, including unnecessary over-peeking, while also improving its seven-map pool. He also said he feels in better individual form after taking time away from competition.

The team will therefore enter Katowice looking to turn its recent preparation into stronger results.

$1 Million and a Return to Spodek Arena

The 16-team tournament has a $1 million prize pool, with the playoffs returning to Spodek Arena for the first time since ESL Pro League's arena return was announced. The event also contributes toward the ESL Grand Slam VII race.

With Spirit looking to continue its recent run, several contenders aiming for the playoffs and NAVI fighting for VRS points, ESL Pro League Season 24 has several storylines to follow throughout its Katowice run.