Natus Vincere defeat Aurora to clinch ESL Pro League Season 23 title

Field Level Media|published: Sun 15th March, 17:48 2026

YMCA member Austin Manengu works the keyboard as he plays a game of Fortnite during the unveiling of the new gaming lab at the Maplewood Family YMCA in Rochester Thursday, June 20, 2024. YMCA of Greater Rochester in partnership with Metro Sports & Entertainment Group will open two gaming labs for youth and teens this year.

Natus Vincere toppled Aurora Gaming 3-1 in the best-of-five grand final to claim the ESL Pro League Season 23 title on Sunday in Stockholm.

NaVi took home the $100,000 grand prize, while Aurora had to settle for $55,000 in second.

The third-place match was also contested Sunday, with Astralis edging FUT Esports 2-1 to take home $37,500.

The eight-team Counter-Strike: Global Offense event featured a $275,000 prize pool. The single-elimination bracket consisted of best-of-three matches until Sunday's best-of-five grand final.

Natus Vincere opened with a 13-7 victory on Mirage, but Aurora countered with a 13-11 result on Anubis. NaVi pulled ahead for good by prevailing 13-8 on Nuke and sewed up the title with a 13-9 win on Dust II.

Ihor "w0nderful" Zhdanov of Ukraine paced Natus Vincere with a team-high 82 kills, a team-low 46 deaths and a 1.56 match rating.

In the third-place match, FUT Esports took the lead with a 13-8 win on Dust II before Astralis rallied, taking Ancient 13-4 and Overpass 16-12 in overtime.

Denmark's Victor "Staehr" Staehr led all players with 57 kills for Astralis, while Swedish teammate Love "phzy" Smidebrant added 56 kills and a match-best 1.68 rating.

ESL Pro League Season 23 prize pool

1. $100,000 -- Natus Vincere

2. $55,000 -- Aurora Gaming

3. $37,500 -- Astralis

4. $22,500 -- FUT Esports

5-8. $15,000 -- Team Spirit, Legacy, The MongolZ, MOUZ

--Field Level Media

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