It’s been another incredible year for fans of CSGO esports. The Majors have never failed to disappoint, with CSGO’s finest teams always guaranteed to put on a show. This year, fan-favorite players have finally landed the Majors wins that have so far eluded them, while underdogs have emerged as real contenders that more established rosters are now keeping an eye on. Below, we’ll take a look at some of the greatest moments from the 2023 Majors.
G2 Take Home the Trophy at IEM Katowice 2023
The year got off to a great start, with CSGO’s best and brightest representing at IEM Katowice in January. After a week of intense play, a handful of teams had progressed to the final stages of the competition, with the doors of the Spodek Arena opening to live spectators. As the tournament neared its closing moments, all eyes were on G2 Esports as the roster looked to finally secure a victory at the Heroes.
Although G2 has been considered one of the best CSGO teams around for some time now, the squad has never managed to secure the title at IEM Katowice. The team came up against the Australian squad HEROIC in the Grand Final, eventually making the win and securing their first win at this prestigious event. For popular player Nikola ‘NiKo’ Kovac, this was a special moment. Kovak has made it to the IEM Katowice finals half a dozen times playing with different teams but has never been on the winning side. G2’s victory also means that Justin ‘jks’ Savage earns the unique distinction of being the first-ever to win successively at IEM Katowice, having won as part of the FaZe Clan lineup in 2022.
Apeks as Real Contenders at the BLAST.tv Paris Major 2023
In May, all eyes were on the French capital as the BLAST.tv Paris Major 2023 got underway. For CSGO fans, there was a lot to love about this year’s tournament, but a few showdowns stood out.
Apeks deserve a special mention for their stunning 16-0 victory over Grayhound Gaming. Only a handful of teams have ever managed to deliver such a result. When you consider that the Norwegians were considered the underdogs at the start of the competition, this score is even more impressive. Riding high on their dazzling defeat of Grayhound, Apeks progressed to the playoffs, defeating more established rosters like Ninjas in Pyjamas and Team Liquid. Keep an eye on those CSGO live stats if you want to see if Apeks can maintain this run of mighty performances.
FaZe Give NaVi the Fight of Their Lives
We also need to talk about what happened when NaVi and FaZe Clan were pitted against each other. These two teams are some of the best currently playing in the upper tiers of CSGO. At first, it looked like this would be NaVi’s game, having earned a comfortable lead as the match entered its deciding moments. However, the FaZe squad wasn’t going to go down without a fight. The game was eventually pushed into overtime, with NaVi hoping that the ever-dependable s1mple was strong enough to turn things in their favor. However, even the finest CSGO player on the planet couldn’t hold back the combined might of FaZe.
What to Expect in 2024
The Majors are going to look a little different next year. The BLAST.tv Paris Major was a swansong for the original Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, with Counter-Strike 2 set to replace it as the game of choice in future tournaments. The first Majors of 2024 will be the PGL CS2 Major Copenhagen. The Perfect World Shanghai Major 2024 was later announced for December, but nothing else has been confirmed beyond this. Are the usual CSGO big hitters going to continue to dominate? It’s hard to call, but don’t be too surprised to see other teams emerge as frontrunners as we head into the era of Counter-Strike 2 esports.
