Patryk Stachowiak
NAVI Secure ESL Pro League Title with Dominant Finals Performance
NAVI claimed the ESL Pro League Season 23 championship after a convincing 3:1 victory over Aurora in the grand final. The international squad displayed tactical superiority across four maps, securing Mirage (13:7), stumbling on Anubis (11:13), but bouncing back on Nuke (13:6) and Dust2 (13:9). This triumph earned the team $100,000 in direct prize money, while the NAVI organization secured an additional $150,000.
The tournament concluded in a LAN format from March 13 to March 15, featuring a total prize pool of $776,000. The top 8 playoff finishers divided $275,000 of that pool based on their final standings.
ESL Pro League Season 23 Prize Pool Distribution
| Placement | Earnings | Team |
|---|---|---|
| 1st place | $100,000 | NAVI |
| 2nd place | $55,000 | Aurora |
| 3rd place | $37,500 | Astralis |
| 4th place | $22,500 | FUT Esports |
| 5th–8th places | $15,000 | Team Spirit, Legacy, The MongolZ, MOUZ |
Aleksib Faces Hostile Crowd Chants in Stockholm
During the intense playoff matches, Aleksi “Aleksib” Virolainen became the target of a specific chant from the Stockholm crowd. Fans repeatedly shouted “Pay your taxes” at the NAVI captain. These taunts follow recent reports from Finnish media regarding a tax investigation involving Aleksib and his company, Aleksib Oy.
Fans at the ESL Pro League Season 23 playoffs in Stockholm directed a controversial chant toward Aleksi “Aleksib” Virolainen, repeatedly shouting “Pay your taxes!” during the match.
The Finnish Tax Administration is scrutinizing income totaling €598,155.78 earned between 2022 and 2024. Investigators allege Aleksib declared these earnings as corporate income to benefit from lower rates, whereas authorities maintain the funds qualify as personal income. The current audit has led to a €249,719.91 profit adjustment, with total potential liabilities reaching nearly €480,000. While the community remains divided on the crowd’s behavior, Aleksib remained focused on his leadership role, successfully guiding NAVI to the trophy despite the outside noise. Follow TipsGG for continued coverage of professional Counter-Strike.