MOUZ and Vitality book ESL Pro League S24 playoff spots as TYLOO and ShindeN go home

MOUZ and Team Vitality are the first two teams through to the playoffs of ESL Pro League Season 24 after both finished the Swiss stage unbeaten on Monday (5 October). At the other end of the table, China's TYLOO and South America's ShindeN were knocked out without a win.

The $1 million Counter-Strike 2 event began in Katowice, Poland on 3 October, and day three settled the first places in the playoff bracket that will be played at the Spodek Arena from Friday to Sunday, 9 to 11 October.

MOUZ make light work of Spirit

MOUZ were the cleaner of the two qualifiers. They beat Team Spirit 2-0, taking Dust II 13-5 before closing out a tighter Mirage 13-11. Adrian "xelex" Vincze and Lotan "Spinx" Giladi each finished the series with 40 kills, while Spirit's star rifler Danil "donk" Kryshkovets had one of his quieter outings and could not drag his side back into the contest.

Spirit drop into the 2-1 pool and still have two more chances to reach Katowice's main stage.

Vitality survive Falcons scare

Vitality's route to 3-0 was less straightforward. The French-based side dropped the opening map, Anubis, 13-9 to Team Falcons in a rematch of their IEM Cologne Major quarter-final, which Falcons had won. Vitality responded convincingly, winning Dust II 13-4 and Mirage 13-8.

Robin "ropz" Kool led the scoreboard with 51 kills across the three maps. Mathieu "ZywOo" Herbaut, who had produced a decisive clutch against NAVI on day two, had a quieter day, with his teammates carrying more of the load.

TYLOO's run ends in the 0-2 pool

Asia's interest in the Swiss stage took a hit when M80 eliminated TYLOO 2-1. The Chinese side won Mirage 13-10 but M80 hit back to take Cache 13-7 and Anubis 13-8, with Fritz "slaxz-" Dietrich posting 60 kills in the series. G2 Esports also stayed alive by blanking ShindeN 2-0, winning 13-6 on Dust II and 13-9 on Ancient, with Matus "MATYS" Simko contributing 42 kills.

TYLOO and ShindeN share 15th-16th place, worth $2,500 each.

Who else is still in the race

The 1-1 matches on Monday also shaped the 2-1 pool. FURIA beat PARIVISION 2-1, Natus Vincere swept 9z 2-0, 1win beat Legacy 2-0 and Aurora edged BetBoom 2-1.

Round four continues on Tuesday (6 October) with Spirit vs 1win, FURIA vs Aurora, Falcons vs NAVI, G2 vs PARIVISION, 9z vs BetBoom and Legacy vs M80. The playoffs are single elimination, with best-of-three series until a best-of-five grand final. The champions collect $125,000 of the prize pool.

For fans in Malaysia, evening matches in Poland (UTC+2) fall in the small hours here, as Malaysia is six hours ahead of Katowice.

Key takeaways

• MOUZ beat Team Spirit 2-0 (13-5 Dust II, 13-11 Mirage) to finish the Swiss stage 3-0.
• Vitality came back from losing Anubis to beat Falcons 2-1, with ropz on 51 kills.
• M80 eliminated China's TYLOO 2-1; G2 knocked out ShindeN 2-0.
• The playoffs run 9-11 October at the Spodek Arena in Katowice, with $125,000 for the winners.

FAQ

Who has qualified for the ESL Pro League Season 24 playoffs so far? MOUZ and Team Vitality, both after going 3-0 in the Swiss stage.

Which teams were eliminated on day three? TYLOO, beaten 2-1 by M80, and ShindeN, beaten 2-0 by G2. Both finished 0-3.

When and where are the playoffs? From Friday 9 to Sunday 11 October at the Spodek Arena in Katowice, Poland.

Sources: HLTV, Field Level Media, Hotspawn