International tournament organizer and gaming festival company ESL FACEIT Group (EFG) announced this week that it will bring the ESL Pro League Season 24 Finals to Spodek Arena in Katowice, Poland, in late September of 2026. The announcement marks the official return of EPL live arena events to a major stop of Counter-Strike esports at this familiar location to both fans and competitors.
Financial terms between the city of Katowice and EFG were not disclosed.
The ESL Pro League Season 24 Finals are set to run from Sept. 24 to Oct. 11, 2026, and will feature the top Counter-Strike 2 teams competing for a lion’s share of a $1 million USD total prize pool.
This also marks the first time since 2019 that EPL playoffs will come to an arena setting. The most recent iteration of playoffs held in an arena setting took place in Odense, Denmark, in 2019. Previous host cities with a similar setting included Montpellier, France; Dallas, Texas; and São Paulo, Brazil.
In its announcement, the company noted that “EFG and the city of Katowice share a mutual understanding and intent to extend their partnership, starting with hosting ESL Pro League Season 24 at Katowice’s Spodek Arena.”
“For years now, Katowice has been a symbol of global esports, and Spodek – its temple,” said Katowice Mayor Marcin Krupa. “The return of the ESL Pro League to a format with a live audience and the choice of our city as the host of the finals is a sign of trust and recognition for our long-standing cooperation with ESL FACEIT Group. The city of Katowice strengthens its position as the Counter-Strike history will be written here once again – with the best players and thousands of fans from around the world.”
Additional details about ESL Pro League Season 24 and ticket information will be revealed at a later date.