Gaimin Gladiators are Berlin Major Champions
On the evening of May 7th, the second Major of the season came to an end. The ESL One Berlin Major 2023 featured a Grand Final between Gaimin Gladiators and Team Liquid.
On their way to the Grand Final, Gaimin Gladiators finished first in Group A with a 5-3-0 record and didn't lose a single map in the playoffs. The team defeated Team Spirit, OG, and 9Pandas in a row with a 2-0 score.
Team Liquid finished third in Group A with a 3-4-1 record and advanced to the upper bracket of the playoffs, but lost their first match to OG (1-2) and dropped to the lower bracket. There, Team Liquid defeated Xtreme Gaming (2-1), Team Aster (2-0), Tundra Esports (2-0), Evil Geniuses (2-0), and 9Pandas (2-1).
In the best-of-5 grand final, Gaimin Gladiators won the first map, after which Team Liquid tied the series at 1-1, but could not hold on in the following maps. The Gaimin Gladiators came out stronger twice, and were eventually crowned champions of the ESL One Berlin Major 2023 with a 3-1 victory over Liquid.
The prize pool for the tournament was $500,000 and 2,700 DPC points.
Prize Pool Distribution
- 1st — $200,000 + 500 DPC Points — Gaimin Gladiators
- 2nd — $100,000 + 450 DPC Points — Team Liquid
- 3rd — $75,000 + 400 DPC Points — 9Pandas
- 4th — $50,000 + 350 DPC Points — Evil Geniuses
- 5th-6th — $25,000 + 300 DPC Points — Tundra Esports, OG
- 7th-8th — $12,500 + 200 DPC Points — Team Aster, Talon Esports