ESL Pro League S24 quarter-finals: Falcons vs Spirit headlines Friday at Katowice's Spodek, from 4.30pm MYT

The ESL Pro League Season 24 playoffs start on Friday, 9 October, at the Spodek arena in Katowice, Poland. All four quarter-finals are on the same day. The schedule runs from late afternoon into Saturday morning in Malaysia, and the last match is a meeting between world No.1 Team Spirit and Team Falcons, the reigning Major champions. The semi-finals follow on Saturday, and the champion will be crowned on Sunday, 11 October.

This follows on from our coverage of the group stage, where PARIVISION knocked out G2 and NAVI and 1win beat Spirit. The playoff bracket is new information.

Quarter-final schedule (Malaysia time)

The quarter-finals are best-of-three. HLTV rankings are shown in brackets.

• 4.30pm: 1win (#33) vs Aurora (#9)
• 7pm: Vitality (#2) vs PARIVISION (#20)
• 9.30pm: FURIA (#4) vs MOUZ (#3)
• Midnight (Saturday): Team Falcons (#5) vs Team Spirit (#1)

These times assume each earlier match finishes on schedule. Later matches can start late if an earlier series goes to three maps. None of the quarter-finals had started when this was published on Friday morning, Malaysia time.

Falcons vs Spirit: a rivalry that keeps coming back

The two teams have met in two big semi-finals this year. Falcons beat Spirit in the semi-finals of the IEM Cologne Major and went on to win the title. Spirit got revenge in the BLAST Open Porto semi-finals with a 2-0 win.

Spirit did not have an easy group stage. They finished 2-3 after losses to MOUZ and 1win, and they had to beat M80 to take the last playoff place. Their season is still very strong, with wins at the Esports World Cup and BLAST Open Porto, which explains their No.1 ranking.

Falcons come in with question marks of their own. Since winning the Major, they have lost to 100 Thieves, Legacy, Spirit and Vitality. HLTV notes that they have not beaten a top-six team in that time.

Top half: Vitality and Aurora

On paper, the top half of the bracket looks easier for the favourites. Vitality face PARIVISION, who beat G2 and NAVI on their way to the playoffs. Vitality used stand-ins earlier in the event before William "mezii" Merriman returned, and he has played well since coming back.

Aurora play 1win, the lowest-ranked team left in the event. 1win reached the quarter-finals on a three-match winning streak that included 2-0 wins over Spirit and Legacy. Aurora reached the final of StarLadder StarSeries Fall a few weeks ago and lost that best-of-five final to Vitality.

FURIA vs MOUZ: a group-stage rematch

FURIA and MOUZ, the world's No.4 and No.3 teams, play in the third quarter-final. They already met in the group stage, and MOUZ won. FURIA also went 2-3 in the group stage and needed a decider win over 9z to reach the playoffs. MOUZ won BLAST Bounty Season 2 earlier this season.

What comes next

The winners play the semi-finals on Saturday, 10 October. The grand final on Sunday is best-of-five. The event is one of the last big tests before the PGL Major Singapore, which starts on 25 November. That will be the first CS2 Major held in Southeast Asia.

Key takeaways

• All four ESL Pro League S24 quarter-finals are on Friday, 9 October, in Katowice.
• Malaysia start times are 4.30pm, 7pm, 9.30pm and midnight, if matches run to schedule.
• Spirit vs Falcons repeats this year's IEM Cologne Major semi-final, which Falcons won.
• Semi-finals are on Saturday, and the best-of-five final is on Sunday, 11 October.

FAQ

What time does Falcons vs Spirit start in Malaysia? It is scheduled for midnight, going into Saturday, 10 October. It could start later if earlier matches overrun.

Where is ESL Pro League Season 24 being played? The playoffs are at the Spodek arena in Katowice, Poland.

When is the ESL Pro League Season 24 final? The best-of-five grand final is on Sunday, 11 October.

Sources: HLTV, Insider Gaming, BLAST.tv, Hotspawn