M80 Cruise to Victory at DreamHack Knockout Atlanta, Earn ESL Pro League S23 Spot

M80 Cruise to Victory at DreamHack Knockout Atlanta, Earn ESL Pro League S23 Spot

In Atlanta, Georgia, M80 secured the top spot at the DreamHack Knockout Atlanta 2025 BYOC LAN event, defeating Germany’s BIG in the grand final and earning a berth in ESL Pro League Season 23. 

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Dominant Final Showdown

In the best-of-three grand final held on November 2, M80 delivered a 2-0 sweep over BIG. The match opened on Dust 2 with M80 edging out a 16-13 win. They then locked in the series with a convincing 13-5 victory on Mirage. 

Leading the pack for M80 was Mason “Lake” Sanderson, who posted a rating of 1.57 over the two maps, finishing 47-32. His performance stood out as the backbone of M80’s strong showing. 

For BIG, roster complications surfaced early: the Danish player Jason “JBOEN” Boe Nielsen filled in for Gleb “gr1ks” Gazin, who was sidelined due to visa issues. 

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Road to the Title & Prize Details

The LAN featured an open BYOC-style format with a $10,000 prize pool and included teams from across North America and abroad. Entry cost for a ticket was steep — $995 per team plus $69 per staff member. 

M80 claimed the $5,000 top prize and the coveted slot at ESL Pro League S23. BIG took home $3,000 as runners-up. Meanwhile, Marsborne and Imperial rounded out the semifinalists, each earning $1,000. 

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What This Means for ESL Pro League S23

With this win, M80 will participate in Stage 1 of ESL Pro League Season 23, which features a 24-team format and online group stage ahead of an eight-team arena playoff. 

The Atlanta event acted as one of the qualifiers. A European counterpart in Stockholm later in November will also grant a spot for the Season 23 field. 

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Takeaways

• M80’s dominance in the final and throughout the event demonstrates their readiness for higher-tier competition.

• BIG’s adjustment with a replacement due to visa issues may have impacted their ability to perform at full strength.

• The BYOC LAN format underlines increasing opportunities for emerging teams to access major league qualifiers — albeit with considerable cost and logistics for entrants.

• M80’s upcoming participation in ESL Pro League S23 offers them a platform to measure themselves against more established global rosters.