"I'm really happy with our performance. Everyone was at the level to bring this final to the French public. It's an incredible feeling," team captain Dan "apEX" Madesclaire, 30, said after the victory as thousands of fans sang the Marseillaise.

The French club, which celebrates its ten years of existence this year, came to the end in two sets (16-14, 16-12) of the Norwegians of Apeks, small thumb of the competition. The prodigy Mathieu "ZywOo" Herbaut, twice voted best player in the world (2019, 2020), has assumed his role as superstar by chaining the prowess mouse in hand.

Kamil 'siuhy' Szkaradek, player of the German GamerLegion team, arrives for the final of the Major Counter-Strike, one of the most prestigious e-sports competitions in video games, on May 21, 2023 at the Accor Arena in Paris-Bercy © Christophe ARCHAMBAULT /

"There's a lot of emotion. A Major organized in Paris, we had been waiting ten years. So in addition to Vitality being qualified and at their best, it's just incredible," said Maxime Chabby, a 20-year-old sound engineer.

Dressed in the official yellow and black t-shirt of his favorite team, he came with several friends to attend the semifinals of the first Major held in France, the last of the Counter-Strike: Global Offensive era before the release of a sequel this summer.

Polished production

For fans and players alike, the stakes are high: winning a Major is the equivalent of a Grand Slam victory in tennis, separating good players from the legends of the game. Valve, the American publisher of the title, has planned a global endowment of $ 1.25 million (1.15 million euros) for the occasion.

In the stands of the sports palace, clapping, chants of supporters and shouts of encouragement began in the first game of the day, pitting the Danes of Heroic and their leader Casper "cadiaN" Moeller, 27, against the German team Gamer Legion.

The players of the French team Vitality arrive for the final of the Major Counter-Strike, one of the most prestigious e-sports competitions in video games, on May 21, 2023 at the Accor Arena in Paris-Bercy © Christophe ARCHAMBAULT /

"My favourite player was eliminated in qualifying, but +cadiaN+ has been trying to win a Major since 2013. It's an example of perseverance so I hope it will pay off," explained Oksana Amery, 23, Franco-Ukrainian in the jersey flocked with the nickname "S1mple", Ukrainian player considered the best in history.

Las, the Germans finally won 2 sets to 1 and will face Vitality in the final. In the dark enclosure of the hall, the audience was filled with fans all day, sitting in front of a circular stage, overlooked by a giant screen.

The principle of a match has been the same since the release of the original game more than twenty years ago: two teams compete to detonate a bomb or kill all its opponents before the end of a two-minute round.

Spectators during the final of Major Counter-Strike, one of the most prestigious e-sports competitions in video games, on May 21, 2023 at the Accor Arena in Paris-Bercy © Christophe ARCHAMBAULT /

After ten years of tournaments organized on the current version of the game, the production is more licked than ever. When a team plants a bomb, the contours of the giant screen and the lights of the bleachers take on a red hue to warn of the imminence of the explosion.

Orchestra and smoke

When a player manages to eliminate several opponents, real flames shoot from the front of the stage under the wild shouts of the audience. "We take full eyes for hours," said Joao, 28, from Brazil where the shooter is very popular.

Since the beginning of the final phases on Thursday, the show is also at the rendezvous on the outskirts of Bercy, where the supporters of each organization tease each other with a lot of predictions.

Final between the players of the French team Vitality and German GamerLegion during the Major Counter-Strike:GO, one of the most prestigious e-sports competitions in video games, on May 21, 2023 at the Accor Arena in Paris-Bercy © Christophe ARCHAMBAULT /

For the entry of Vitality, the Golden Hornets - association of supporters of the team, whose official logo is a bee - paraded by the hundreds, accompanied by an orchestra, banners and smoke.

"It's a magnificent celebration of esport," Fabien "Neo" Devide, boss of Vitality, told AFP shortly before the semi-final.

"As kids, we dreamed of being able to fill stadiums and live from our passion. To see all this enthusiasm today is a lot of pride (...) Now we have a story to mark," he said. The final between Vitality and Gamer Legion kicks off on Sunday at 17:00.

© 2023 AFP