1win stun world No. 1 Spirit as Falcons and Aurora reach ESL Pro League Season 24 playoffs

1win produced the biggest shock of ESL Pro League Season 24 so far on Tuesday (6 October), sweeping world No. 1 Team Spirit 2-0 in Katowice to book a playoff place. Team Falcons and Aurora Gaming also reached the playoffs with 3-1 records, joining Team Vitality and MOUZ, who had already qualified on Monday.

The results leave three heavyweights, Spirit, Natus Vincere and FURIA, needing to win tonight's final round of the Swiss group stage to stay in the CS2 tournament. Those deciders start at 8pm Malaysia time.

1win dismantle Spirit on Cache and Anubis

Spirit came into the event at the top of Valve's world rankings, but they never found a way into the series against 1win. 1win took Cache 13-5 and then closed out Anubis 13-9 to complete the sweep.

Ax1Le was the standout, posting a 1.51 HLTV rating with 33 kills, while BELCHONOKK added 33 kills of his own. Spirit's star rifler donk had a quiet night by his standards, finishing on a 0.85 rating with a negative kill-death difference.

The win was 1win's third in a row after losing their opener to Vitality. HLTV noted that the result greatly strengthens their chances of an invite to the PGL Singapore Major later this year, the first CS2 Major in South-east Asia.

For Spirit, it was a second defeat in two days. MOUZ had already handed them their first Swiss group-stage loss in 668 days on Monday.

Falcons edge NAVI in a three-map fight

Falcons needed the full distance to beat NAVI 2-1. They opened with a 13-6 win on Inferno, but NAVI hit back by taking Anubis 19-15 in overtime. Falcons then controlled Mirage 13-8 to seal their playoff spot.

Nikola "NiKo" Kovac led the way for Falcons with 65 kills across the three maps, according to Field Level Media.

Aurora come from behind against FURIA

Aurora also had to recover from losing the first map. FURIA won Dust II 13-8, before Aurora levelled the series with a 13-9 win on Mirage and then took Nuke 13-9.

Ali "Wicadia" Yalcin was Aurora's top performer, finishing with 52 kills and proving the difference in a tight series.

Tonight's deciders: Spirit, NAVI and FURIA on the brink

Three teams with 2-2 records will play best-of-three elimination matches on Wednesday at the Spodek arena. The winners take the last three playoff places, and the losers go home.

• FURIA vs 9z, 2pm CEST (8pm Malaysia time)
• PARIVISION vs Natus Vincere, 4.30pm CEST (10.30pm Malaysia time)
• Spirit vs M80, 7pm CEST (1am Thursday, Malaysia time)

NAVI's form is a concern. HLTV pointed out that the team have not reached the top eight of an event since winning IEM Atlanta in May. Spirit, meanwhile, now face M80 knowing a third loss would end their tournament.

The eight-team playoffs follow in Katowice, with the arena stage at the Spodek running from 9 to 11 October and a best-of-five grand final on Sunday. The event has a prize pool of US$1 million.

Key takeaways

• 1win beat world No. 1 Spirit 2-0 (Cache 13-5, Anubis 13-9) to reach the ESL Pro League S24 playoffs.
• Falcons beat NAVI 2-1 and Aurora beat FURIA 2-1, so five of the eight playoff places are now filled.
• Spirit, NAVI and FURIA all face elimination matches tonight, starting at 8pm Malaysia time.
• The grand final is a best-of-five on Sunday, 11 October, at the Spodek in Katowice.

FAQ

Which teams have qualified for the ESL Pro League Season 24 playoffs? Vitality, MOUZ, Falcons, Aurora and 1win have qualified. Three more places will be decided in Wednesday's elimination matches.

What time are the final ESL Pro League group matches in Malaysia? FURIA vs 9z starts at 8pm, PARIVISION vs NAVI at 10.30pm, and Spirit vs M80 at 1am on Thursday, Malaysia time.

When is the ESL Pro League Season 24 final? The best-of-five grand final is on Sunday, 11 October, at the Spodek arena in Katowice, Poland.

Sources: HLTV, Field Level Media, Hotspawn, BLAST.tv