oBo to become the youngest player ever at a CS:GO major

At just over sixteen years old, Owen “oBo” Schlatter is making Counter-Strike: Global Offensive history as the youngest professional competitor ever to participate in a Major championship event.

Representing Complexity Gaming as an American rifler, oBo enters the StarLadder Berlin Major establishing an unprecedented benchmark for youthful excellence at esports’ highest competitive tier.

Born on June 26, 2003, this emerging talent will compete at precisely 16 years and 58 days old when the tournament commences. Complexity secured his signature shortly before his sixteenth birthday, recognizing his exceptional performance potential demonstrated across various minor league competitions and qualifying events.

According to authoritative esports statistics platform HLTV, the subsequent youngest participants at the StarLadder Major include mousesports’ David “frozen” Čerňanský alongside ENCE’s Jere “sergej” Salo, both competitors aged seventeen years.

Before oBo embarks on his inaugural Major campaign, the distinction of youngest professional player to compete in a premier tournament belonged to Markus “Kjaerbye” Kjærbye, currently competing for North. Though now twenty-one, Kjaerbye similarly participated at DreamHack Winter 2014 representing Copenhagen Wolves when he was also sixteen.

The most youthful organization competing at the Major is Syman Gaming, a Kazakh roster making their debut appearance at a premier CS:GO championship. Their collective average age reaches 20.4 years, featuring four athletes ranking among the tournament’s twenty youngest participants. Furia Esports and ForZe trail closely with respective average ages of 20.8 and 21.5 years.

Unexpectedly positioned fourth among youngest teams stands Team Liquid, the season’s dominant CS:GO powerhouse consistently leading all reputable global rankings. Their squad averages 21.8 years, with nineteen-year-old Russel “Twistzz” Van Dulken serving as their most junior member. Since commencing his professional journey in 2015, Twistzz has accumulated tournament winnings exceeding $700,000.

Conversely, the most experienced team attending StarLadder Major is MiBR, boasting an average roster age of 27.3 years. Established organizations including FaZe Clan, Ninjas in Pyjamas, and G2 Esports similarly maintain averages surpassing twenty-five years with their collections of seasoned veteran competitors.

The StarLadder Berlin Major launches on August 23 as this year’s second premier championship tournament. Twenty-four qualified teams will navigate Swiss system group stages competing for playoff qualification and portions of the $1,000,000 total prize distribution.

Young competitors like oBo often demonstrate superior reaction times and adaptability, though they may lack the strategic depth and tournament experience of veteran players. This creates fascinating tactical dynamics where teams must leverage their age-based strengths while mitigating corresponding weaknesses.

For aspiring professional gamers, understanding these age patterns provides valuable career planning insights. The optimal age window for peak performance varies by role and playstyle, with entry fraggers typically peaking younger than in-game leaders who benefit from accumulated game knowledge.

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