CS Asia Championships 2023 Groups Announced

CS Asia Championships 2023 is the third iteration of the event, which was first held in 2018 as CS:GO Asia Championships 2018 and again in 2019. Since then, the organisers, Perfect World, have not hosted another event due to COVID-19, but after four years, the Asian CS esports tournament returned.

CS Asia Championships 2023 will kick off on November 8 with the group stage and culminate on November 12 with the grand finals, when the top two Counter-Strike teams will fight for the lion’s share of the $500,000 prize pool. While the tournament format and dates were known for a while now, Perfect World only recently revealed the schedule and groups.

As announced, Group A will feature ENCE as the top-seeded team, followed by Astralis and two Chinese teams in Lynn Vision and TYLOO. Meanwhile, Group B will feature MOUZ, FaZe Clan, Ninjas in Pyjamas, and Wings Up.

CS Asia Championships 2023 initially invited G2 Esports and Team Liquid; however, the two teams pulled out of the tournament amid rumours of roster changes. Team Liquid announced it won’t attend the event in September and was later replaced by Ninjas in Pyjamas, whereas G2 Esports confirmed it won’t travel to China this weekend and was replaced by the Chinese side, Wings Up Gaming.

The tournament will kick off on Wednesday, November 8, with the opening series between ENCE and TYLOO, followed by the second match between Astralis and Lynn Vision.

The second day of action, on Thursday, November 9, will see MOUZ take on Wings Up, followed by FaZe Clan clashing with Ninjas in Pyjamas.

The top three teams from each group will advance to a single-elimination bracket, which will begin on Saturday, November 11, and conclude a day later, on Sunday, November 12, with the grand finals.