Last-minute madness: Why Gentle Mates and ENCE are at ESL Pro League Season 22?

ESL Pro League Season 22 is in full swing, with 24 of the world’s best Counter-Strike 2 teams competing for its $400,000 (~£297,830) prize pool and Valve Regional Standings (VRS) points.

However, viewers tuning into the action may be surprised to see Gentle Mates and ENCE competing in Stage 1 of the tournament, despite not receiving an invitation or qualifying. Esports Insider quickly explains why these esports organisations have made a sudden Pro League appearance.

Gentle Mates has made its ESL Pro League debut after Lynn Vision Gaming was unable to field a complete roster at the event. As a result of the Chinese side’s ineligibility, Gentle Mates was the next eligible team according to tournament organiser ESL FACEIT Group‘s rules.

“Any withdrawal occurring less than two weeks prior to the event’s start date will result in the invitation being granted to the highest-ranked team on the Valve Regional Standings from the host region of the event,” stated ESL on September 27th.

Ranked 26th in the September VRS, a strong performance at ESL Pro League Season 22 allows Gentle Mates to cement its place within the top 32 before the invites for the StarLadder Budapest Major are distributed.

The tournament has already started on the front foot, scoring a 2-1 victory over HEROIC in its opening match. Gentle Mates continues its Pro League campaign on September 29th, 2025, with a round two match against G2 Esports. A win would place the team one victory away from Stage 2.

Another team that was unable to field a complete roster at ESL Pro League Season 22 was Virtus.pro. On September 27th, the organisation revealed Swedish border control raised concerns regarding the medical insurance of its players, denying entry into the country.

As per ESL FACEIT Group’s rulebook, ENCE was the next eligible team to compete. The last-minute invitation resulted in ENCE having to withdraw from Birch Cup 2025, a Tier 2 LAN taking place in Gdansk, Poland.

Ranked 29th in the September VRS, ENCE is on the cusp of dropping out of the top 32 if the team is unable to score LAN victories during its surprise Pro League appearance.

ENCE kicked off Stage 1 with a victory over M80. A win over Astralis in the second round puts it a step closer to Stage 2 qualification.

Fans can tune into Stage 1 of ESL Pro League Season 22 on the ESL Counter-Strike’s Twitch and YouTube channels.