Competitive Counter-Strike 2 saw a rough opening day for several prominent teams this past Saturday, September 28, 2025. Three top squads from a major eSports region entered the ESL Pro League Season 22 – Stage 1 debut with high hopes. Unfortunately, all three faced early defeats, leaving fans and analysts wondering about their next moves. It was a day of unexpected challenges and tough losses across the board.
The action started bright and early with Fluxo (FX) hitting the virtual battlefield. They squared off against Astralis in a best-of-three series. Despite putting up a strong fight, Fluxo ultimately lost the series 2-1. Astralis took the first map, Mirage, with a score of 13-6. Fluxo bounced back on Inferno, winning 13-9. However, Astralis sealed their victory on Nuke, dominating with a 13-2 win.
GG 1×2 Astralis. Hoje não deu, tropa.
Mas a nossa jornada ainda tá longe de acabar. Amanhã voltamos pro servidor da Pro League pra buscar o 1-1.
Seguimos. #SegueOFX
— Fluxo (@fluxogg) September 28, 2025
Fluxo shared their thoughts after the match. “GG 1×2 Astralis. Today it didn’t work out, squad,” they posted. “But our journey is still far from over. Tomorrow we return to the Pro League server to look for 1-1. We continue. #GoFX”
Next up were FURIA, current champions of the Fissure Playground #2. They came into this tournament with significant momentum and high expectations after their recent title win. However, they faced a surprising setback, losing 2-0 to HOTU. HOTU, ranked 43rd globally by Valve, proved to be a formidable opponent. HOTU won Overpass 13-8 and then secured the series with a 13-9 victory on Dust2.
podemos até ganhar a FISSURE, duro é ganhar do dukefissura
0x2 vs HOTU na estreia pela #ESLProLeague 22 pra #FURIACS iniciar o torneio 0-1 pic.twitter.com/ZnJSsfwHhA
— FURIA (@FURIA) September 28, 2025
FURIA’s team account commented on their debut loss. They said, “we can even win FISSURE, it’s hard to win against dukefissura 0x2 vs HOTU in the debut for #ESLProLeague 22 for #FURIACS to start the tournament 0-1.”
Closing out the challenging day was Legacy. They also sought a winning start but ultimately suffered a 2-1 defeat against B8. Legacy started strong on Dust2, winning 13-4. However, B8 answered back on Ancient with a 13-6 win. B8 then clinched the series on Train, winning 13-2, marking the third loss for the region’s teams.
1-2 contra a B8 e começamos 0-1 na Pro League ☹️#OurLegacy #LegacyCS #ESLProLeague
— Legacy (@legacyggbr) September 28, 2025
Legacy expressed their disappointment directly. Their post read, “1-2 against B8 and we started 0-1 in the Pro League ☹️ #OurLegacy #LegacyCS #ESLProLeague.”
All three organizations now find themselves in the elimination bracket. They will return to the servers on Monday, September 29, 2025. These upcoming matches are vital; the teams will play against others who also have one loss and zero wins. Fans can follow all the action through the co-stream channels officially released by the event organizer.