The BLAST.tv Paris Major 2023, also known as BLAST.tv Major 2023 or Paris 2023, was the nineteenth and final Counter-Strike: Global OffensiveMajor Championship.[1] It was held in Paris, France at the Accor Arena from May 8 to 21, 2023. Twenty-four teams qualified for the event, which featured a US$1,250,000 prize pool, via regional major rankings. It is the first Major Championship tournament hosted by BLAST. Team Vitality won the major, defeating GamerLegion in the grand final 2–0.[2]
The defending Major champions were Virtus.pro[a], who won their second Major championship at IEM Rio Major 2022.[6] Virtus.pro were eliminated by MOUZ during the European Major qualifiers, making them the first defending Major champions to fail to qualify for the following Major.[7]
This event was the final Counter-Strike: Global Offensive Major tournament, with the game to be succeeded by Counter-Strike 2, and that game's first Major tournament set to be held in March 2024.[1]
Format
Twenty-four teams qualified for the tournament. Sixteen teams qualified for the Challengers Stage, while eight teams received a bye to the Legends Stage. In the Challengers Stage, 16 teams participated in a Swiss bracket. The top eight teams advanced and joined the eight teams that received a bye in the Legends stage. The top eight teams from the Legends stage advanced to the Champions stage. The Champions stage was a single-elimination tournament, where each match was a best-of-3.[8]
Qualification took place through 3 Regional Major Ranking (RMR) events to determine qualifications for the geographic regions. The 3 regions were Europe, the Americas and Asia. Each region received a certain number of places at the Major in Paris based on the performance of teams from the same region at the IEM Rio Major 2022.
The RMR tournaments took place in the following cities:[9]
European RMRs: Copenhagen, Denmark: April 6–9 (Group A) and April 11–15 (Group B)
The final placings are shown below. In addition, the prize distribution, seed for the next major, roster, and coaches are shown. Each team's in-game leader is shown first.
^Due to sanctions against Russia in response to the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, Virtus.pro competed under the neutral name Outsiders. On March 22, 2023, tournament organizers ESL and BLAST lifted the ban on Virtus.pro.[5]
