Among the 16 teams competing is 9z, a South American squad supported by its main partner, 1xBet. The team qualified through the Global VRS Invite, a system built on Valve’s rankings used to determine entry into top-tier tournaments, and will now travel to Poland to take on some of the best rosters in the world.
A full return to LAN
ESL Pro League has long set a high bar in the esports world, and Season 24 pushes that further by bringing all 16 teams together for a fully offline event. The competition starts with a group stage using the Swiss system, with matches played in a best-of-three format. The top eight teams from that stage move on to a single-elimination playoff bracket, where quarterfinals, semifinals, and the third-place match will also be best-of-three, before the tournament wraps up with a best-of-five grand final.
9z’s road to Katowice
Securing a spot at this event is a strong run of form for 9z. The team’s Global VRS Invite came off the back of a productive quarter that included a win at XSE Pro League 2026 in Guangzhou and a top-eight finish at IEM Cologne. Facing elite competition at ESL Pro League Season 24 gives the team another chance to test itself on the international stage and build on its standing within the global CS2 scene.
A stacked field
The tournament’s lineup is one of its biggest draws, featuring organizations like Team Spirit, Team Falcons, MOUZ, Team Vitality, Natus Vincere, G2, FURIA, Aurora, and 9z among the 16 teams representing the sport’s main competitive regions. Additionally, teams will be competing for a $1 million prize pool and valuable ranking points.
Back to Spodek Arena
Katowice has a well-established history with esports, having previously hosted events like EMS One in 2014 and 2015, several editions of Intel Extreme Masters, and the 2019 Major. This year’s tournament runs in two stages: the group stage from October 3 to 7, followed by the playoffs at Spodek Arena from October 9 to 11. Bringing the decisive matches into a live arena setting restores the crowd energy that’s become an important part of major CS2 events.
1xBet and 9z’s collaboration
As 9z’s official main partner, 1xBet continues to support the team’s push onto bigger international stages, with tournaments like this serving as important markers of the club’s growth beyond its home region. The story continues in Katowice, where the CS2 community will find out who takes the title when the tournament wraps up on October 11 in front of a full arena at Spodek.
