The first Counter-Strike: Global Offensive major of 2023 will be held in Paris, and the announcement came from a surprising source.
French President Emmanuel Macron officially announced the 2023 BLAST Paris Major. The news was confirmed shortly thereafter by BLAST on Twitter. This will be the first CSGO major to take place in Paris, with the city having previously hosted the League of Legends World Championship and a Dota 2 major. This will also be the first major organized by BLAST.
France has long been a bastion for CSGO, with the country boasting multiple top teams in the game from 2014 to 2017 between Team LDLC, Team EnVyUs, and Titan. The country has fallen off in recent years but remains relevant through international teams and superstars like Mathieu “ZywOo” Herbaut.
A head of state announcing a CSGO major might sound strange, but Macron has been making an active effort to endear himself with French esports fans. Macron wore a Team Vitality hoodie themed on the French flag in April ahead of the 2022 election. Before polls opened, Macron discussed his desire for France to host events in all the major esports titles.
While the reveal of the BLAST Paris Major is big news for CSGO, it’s not the next CSGO major. The next CSGO major will be the IEM Rio Major, set to take place in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil. The event will help shake off memories of the canceled 2020 ESL Rio Major.
As of this writing, no teams have a spot locked up for the IEM Rio Major. The competitors will be decided by a series of RMR events in October. For the time being, it’s impossible to confidently guess which teams will wind up competing in Paris.Â
It’s unknown what venue will host the Paris Major, but there are a few established possibilities. The AccorHotels Arena hosted the Worlds 2019 grand finals while Disneyland Paris hosted Dota 2’s MDL Disneyland Paris Major. Expect to see more details about the CSGO Paris major after the Rio major ending November 13.
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