Team Vitality crowned Blast Premier World Final esports champions in Abu Dhabi

ABU DHABI: Team Vitality were crowned BLAST Premier World Final 2023 champions and took a share of the $1 million prize pool at the close of the Tier One global esports tournament on Sunday at Abu Dhabi’s Etihad Arena.

The final saw Team Vitality beat Faze Clan in a thrilling encounter to win the prestigious competition for the first time and end the year as the world’s best Counter-Strike team of 2023.

The five-day tournament was organized by BLAST, a global esports tournament organizer, in partnership with AD Gaming, an Abu Dhabi-government gaming initiative, and attracted the top eight teams in the world.

As well as winning the trophy, Team Vitality also claimed the top prize of $500,000 and captain Dan Madesclaire, also known as apEX, was delighted to come out on top. It was their second consecutive title following the Spring Fall triumph in Copenhagen.

“It was much closer to what the score suggests,” said apEX. “We had some rough points but the goal was to stay calm together and we played some good Counter-Strike. We will now keep going for the New Year.

“To be able to win two major trophies in a row is the best feeling you can have. I’m speechless to have won the BLAST Premier World Final. There was a lot of people in the Etihad Arena and there was a good atmosphere, and it was great to see so many people enjoy the show.”

The final day also saw India’s True Rippers Esports come out on top against Pakistan’s Team WahWah in the Showmatch encounter. Hamad Chowdhury of True Rippers, said: “It was a great experience and it was fun to play with the professional players, (it) was a dream come true and it was an enjoyable experience.”

It was the second consecutive year that the BLAST Premier World Final was staged