After being selected as a Wildcard Pick to attend the IESF World Championships, the team representing Wales managed to make it through the first set of group stages in Bali and make it to the playoffs of the offline qualifier, making HLTV history in the process. Despite having some notable names on the team, such as eMasters’ Emyr “eMy” Green, the Welsh side was always going to be an underdog due to some of the even bigger names that other countries had representing them.
The Welsh team had to battle its way through the offline qualifier, where two spots at the main event were up for grabs. They managed to beat Luxembourg, which, despite a loss to Ecuador, was good enough for them to move on to the playoffs of the qualifier.
Following the groups is where they drew the short straw, though, as they came up against one of the best teams in the tournament: Bulgaria. Bulgaria has a history of sending strong teams to these international events, and it was no different here, with the ex-Fiend lineup sporting their colours in Bali.
The Welsh boys were expectedly bested by the Bulgarians, and their tournament run came to an end. However, their Bali experience had only just started as the team stayed for the week, taking in the sights and attractions.
Their time at the tournament was not a complete loss though, as in qualifying for playoffs, they secured an HLTV appearance for themselves, managing to bring the Welsh flag to the site for the first time and allowing Welsh players to represent their country instead of sporting the Union Jack. This means that on the biggest news-and-coverage site for CS:GO, there is now official Welsh representation. That in itself is a win.
Esports Wales roster for the event was:
Emyr “eMy” Green
Morgan “m0g” Butler
Kieran “kyzer” Thompson
Ryan “Walli” Walters
Ryan “Trouzz” Trouse
Photo credit: Esports Wales
