The Skyesports Souvenir 2023, the final international Counter-Strike: Global Offensive tournament for the South Asia and Middle East regions, has concluded with Team India getting first place and will now receive the lion’s share of the $5,000 prize pool.
The Skyesports Souvenir took place from Sept. 25 to 30 with six countries taking part. Besides India and UAE, it was Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Nepal who fought for international glory. The tournament was powered by AMD and Windows 11.
Team India wins Skyesports Souvenir 2023
Team India and Team UAE faced off in the best-of-three Grand Finals after a dominant run in the Playoffs. The intense match saw the two teams playing all three games to determine the champions. The first match on Mirage witnessed Team UAE take an early lead, but a comeback by the Indian squad saw the game end with a scoreline of 16-14. The second match was a more one-sided affair as Team UAE completely dominated in the second half to win with a scoreline of 16-9.
It all went down to the final map on Inferno to decide the winners. This time, the match was much more even as the teams exchanged rounds, pushing the game into overtime. The heroics of match MVP, Garvit ‘EmbeR’ Nehra, however, solidified the historic win for Team India as they won the game 19-16.
“Celebrating this victory is not just for the team but for all of India,” said Team India’s Parijat “reV3nnnn” Banerjee. “We’ve shown that Indian esports cannot be taken lightly. Today we lift the Skyesports Souvenir trophy for ourselves, for our supporters and our nation. I am proud to be part of Gods Reign, and this triumph reaffirms our hard work and dedication. We’re just getting started!”
The overall standings for the Skyesports Souvenir 2023 are as follows:
- India
- UAE
- Bangladesh
- Pakistan
- Nepal
- Sri Lanka
Commenting on the tournament, Shiva Nandy, Founder and CEO of Skyesports, said, “A hearty congratulations to Gods Reign for sealing a historical victory for India in the Skyesports Souvenir, which was the last major tournament in the region for Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. Now, with the release of Counter-Strike 2, we are excited to announce that our future tournaments for the title will happen with the new game, starting with the Skyesports Championship 5.0 soon. Stay tuned for more details.”
