ESL Pro League Season 22 became the most popular tournament in the series by average viewership

Loading

Last weekend in Stockholm, the ESL Pro League Season 22 wrapped up, with the world’s best Counter-Strike teams battling for a $400,000 prize pool. After a short downturn, Team Vitality bounced back to claim another trophy. The tournament also attracted a strong audience, finishing first in average viewership and third in peak viewership among all events in the series.

The ESL Pro League Season 22 followed a format similar to previous seasons, with one addition: a third-place match. The tournament’s biggest shock came from The MongolZ, who had recently been ranked number one on HLTV’s international leaderboard. The Mongolian team couldn’t make it past Stage 2, falling to Natus Vincere in the crucial match and missing out on the playoffs.

FURIA and FaZe Clan, on the other hand, gave their fans some exciting surprises. The Brazilian squad made it to the playoffs, while FaZe advanced to the semifinals — a major achievement considering their recent roster changes. In the grand final, Team Vitality swept Team Falcons 3:0, claiming their eighth tournament victory of 2025. Notably, Team Vitality also won the previous season, ESL Pro League Season 21.

ESL Pro League Season 22 Viewership Statistics

ESL Pro League Season 22 broadcasts racked up 27.1 million hours watched. The grand final drew a peak of 631,000 concurrent viewers, a figure only surpassed in the series’ history by the finals of Season 14 and Season 20. Notably, Season 22 set a new record for average viewership in the series, with 219,400 fans tuning in.

The series’ viewership trends are worth noting. The ESL Pro League Season 22 saw a 40% increase in unique streaming channels compared to the previous tournament. This growth was fueled by both new streamers joining in and established community casters using multistreaming to reach audiences across multiple platforms.

YouTube’s influence was especially noticeable during the ESL Pro League Season 22. The platform drew even more viewers this season, accounting for 42% of total tournament hours watched, up from 35% last season. Broadcast language trends remained mostly consistent, though French-language viewership saw a slight boost thanks to Kevin "Brawks" Georges, the popular streamer and co-owner of Gentle Mates, who covered his team’s performance in the tournament.

ESL Pro League Season 22 not only delivered thrilling matches and surprising upsets but also demonstrated the growing strength and diversity of the Counter-Strike community. With record-breaking viewership and standout performances from top teams, the season reaffirmed why ESL Pro League remains one of the premier stages in competitive Counter-Strike. Fans can now look forward to what the next season will bring.