Important information of the first Major of 2022 was shared online.
The first CS:GO Major of 2022 – PGL Major Antwerp – will be happening from 9-22 May 2022, and will be the first Major ever in Belgium. The competition will see the best 24 teams from all over the world play at the Valve-sponsored event, run by PGL – the same organisation that organised the 2021 Stockholm Major. There will be a $1,000,000 prize pool up for grabs.
The 24 teams will be qualifying through Regional Major Ranking (RMR) tournaments with no guaranteed spot at Antwerp. This includes NAVI, the winner of the last Major and currently the best team of 2021.
Tournament Details
PGL Major Antwerp will be divided into three stages – Challengers, Legends and Champions – mirroring the last Major in Stockholm. The first two stages will be played behind closed doors in a studio environment.
Champions will be played at the 18,000-seat Antwerps Sportpaleis in front of an audience. This will be the first ever Major to be hosted in Belgium.
We are glad to have the opportunity to bring back the fans and players together for another CS:GO Major. Belgium has an impressive Counter-Strike fanbase, and many legendary players were born in this country. We are ready to offer an incredible experience for the fans inside the arena and the passionate viewers at home.- Silviu Stroie, PGL CEO
The schedule of the tournament is as follows:
- Challengers Stage - May 9-12.
- Legends Stage - May 14-17.
- Champions Stage - May 19-22.
RMR Information
The RMR tournaments will be happening in three regions:
- Europe (Europe+CIS),
- Americas (North America + South America)
- Asia (Asia + Oceania).
For each region, PGL will host RMR tournament/s at the PGL Studios as follows: 2 for Europe, 1 for Americas, and 1 for Asia.
PGL has shared the mechanics and schedules for the RMR for each region. As Europe is the biggest region of the three, there will be two RMR schedules for Europe.
Americas RMR (April 11-14)
- 16 teams.
- Invited team (based on PGL Stockholm Major 2021 placement): FURIA Esports.
- The remaining 15 teams will earn their spots on the RMR event through Open Qualifiers.
- Swiss Format.
- Elimination and Advancement matches are Bo3.
- All other matches are Bo1.
- 1st place - Legend Status.
- Places 2-3 - Challenger Status.
- Places 4-6 - Contender Status.
- The bottom ten teams - eliminated.
Asia RMR (April 15-16)
- 4 teams.
- All teams will earn their spots on the RMR event through Open Qualifiers.
- GSL format.
- All matches are Bo3.
- Top 2 teams - Contender Status.
- The bottom two teams - eliminated.
Europe RMR A (April 17-20)
- 16 teams.
- Invited teams (based on PGL Stockholm Major 2021 placements): Natus Vincere, Heroic, Virtus.pro, Team Vitality, Copenhagen Flames, Astralis, ENCE.
- The remaining 9 teams will earn their spots on the RMR event through Open Qualifiers.
- Swiss Format.
- Elimination and Advancement matches are Bo3.
- All other matches are Bo1.
- Top 4 - Legend Status.
- Places 5-6 - Challenger Status.
- Places 7-8 - Contender Status.
- The bottom 8 teams - eliminated.
Europe RMR B (April 21-24)
- 16 teams.
- Invited teams (based on PGL Stockholm Major 2021 placements): G2 Esports, Gambit Esports, Ninjas in Pyjamas, Entropiq, FaZe Clan, MOUZ.
- The remaining 10 teams will earn their spots on the RMR event through Open Qualifiers.
- Swiss Format.
- Elimination and Advancement matches are Bo3.
- All other matches are Bo1.
- Top 3 teams - Legend Status.
- Places 4-7 - Challenger Status.
- 8th place - Contender Status.
- The bottom 8 teams - eliminated.
Open Qualifiers will also be held in every region to fill up the roster after the end of the main RMR tournaments.
OPEN QUALIFIERS
Europe (19 slots) - 4 Open Qualifiers.
Qualifier 1
- February 22-23.
- 4 teams will qualify for the RMR event (semi-finalists).
- The semifinalists (4 teams) will be directly qualified.
Qualifier 2
- March 1-2.
- 5 teams will qualify for the RMR event.
- The semifinalists (4 teams) will be directly qualified.
- The losers from the quarter-finals (4 teams) will play a last-chance qualifier (Bo1 Semifinals and Bo3 Final) to determine the 5th qualified team.
Qualifier 3
- March 3-4.
- 5 teams will qualify for the RMR event.
- The semifinalists (4 teams) will be directly qualified.
- The losers from the quarter-finals (4 teams) will play a last-chance qualifier (Bo1 Semifinals and Bo3 Final) to determine the 5th qualified team.
Qualifier 4
- March 5-6.
- 5 teams will qualify for the RMR event.
- The semifinalists (4 teams) will be directly qualified.
- The losers from the quarter-finals (4 teams) will play a last-chance qualifier (Bo1 Semifinals and Bo3 Final) to determine the 5th qualified team.
Americas (15 slots) - 2 Open Qualifiers for both regions.
- The region will be split into 2 for the Open Qualifiers: NA and SA.
- Every team from the Americas will be able to register in any qualifier they want, the location being a priority. (e.g., if a team has 5 players from SA, it can attend the NA qualifier if it is located in North America). A team will not be able to change its initial choice, so it must play both qualifiers in the same region.
Qualifier 1 (NA)
- March 10-11.
- 4 teams will qualify for the RMR event (semi-finalists).
Qualifier 2 (NA)
- March 12-13.
- The finalists (2 teams) will be directly qualified for the RMR event.
- The losers from the semi-finals will play the last chance qualifier (Bo3) to determine the 3rd qualified team.
Qualifier 1 (SA)
- March 3-4.
- 4 teams will qualify for the RMR event (semi-finalists).
Qualifier 2 (SA)
- March 5-6.
- 4 teams will qualify for the RMR event (semi-finalists).
Asia (4 slots) - 1 Open Qualifier for each region.
- The region will be split into 4 for the Open Qualifiers: China, Oceania, the Middle East, Rest of Asia.
China
- February 19-20.
- The winner of the OQ will qualify for the RMR event.
Oceania
- Date March 5-6.
- The winner of the OQ will qualify for the RMR event.
The Middle East
- Date February 19-20.
- The winner of the OQ will qualify for the RMR event.
Rest of Asia
- Date February 19-20.
- The winner of the OQ will qualify for the RMR event.
PGL has emphasised that starting from this year, all participating players, talent and crew will need to be fully vaccinated. This applies to both the RMR event and PGL Major Antwerp 2022. Additional details of the RMR and Major will be shared on PGL’s social media platforms.
