Top-G wins NESC 2023 trophy to qualify for World Esports Championships

Scripting history, Top-G emerged as champions of the inaugural all-female Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) qualifiers with a stunning 2-1 victory against Purr-ple at the ongoing National Esports Championships (NESC) 2023, organised by the Esports Federation of India (ESFI).

Following this monumental result, Top-G have become the first Indian female CS:GO team to qualify for the global finals of the World Esports Championships (WEC).

With ace CS:GO athletes such as captain Swayambika Sachar (Sway), Shagufta Iqbal (xyaa), Nidhi Salekar (Stormyyy), Dilraj Kaur Matharu (COCO), Aastha Nangia (CrackShot) and Priyanka Choudhary (ALEXAA) as Substitute in their squad, Top-G proved their mettle against Purr-ple in the closely-contested finals.

Top-G dominated the first map by 16-10 before Purr-ple made a stunning comeback to win the second map 16-14. While both teams were going toe-to-toe in the enthralling finals, Top-G utilised their effective teamwork and proficient attacking tactics to edge out their opponents and take the last map by 19-15 in overtime.

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Swayambika Sway Sachar, Team Captain of Top-G, commented:

“Winning the finals was an unreal feeling for all of us. We felt so many emotions before, after, and most importantly during the match and the adrenaline rush was on another level. Triumphing in this tournament and representing India on an international stage is a dream come true for all of us and we aim to prove on the world stage why we deserve this spot. We are grateful to ESFI for providing us with such an amazing opportunity and we truly appreciate the efforts put in by them to uplift women in Esports.“

Vinod Tiwari, ESFI President, added:

“It gives us immense joy to see a female team representing India at the World Esports Championships for the first time in history. The electrifying finals were a testament to the ability that our country’s female athletes possess and why ESFI has constantly been taking significant efforts to provide them with opportunities to display their talent and high-quality gameplay. We would like to congratulate Top-G on their remarkable accomplishment and look forward to them winning at the regional & global finals in Romania.“

The ESFI will now organise friendlies against distinguished CS:GO teams from other countries for team Top-G before their participation at WEC 2023, which is scheduled to take place in Ia?i, Romania. With a prize pool of US$500,000 and at least 130 countries participating, the 15th WEC is set to be the largest edition of the tournament to date.

The global finals of the tournament are scheduled for August 24 – September 4, 2023.