PGL hosts next CS:GO Major in Antwerp

The PGL may host the second Major tournament in a row. After the great success last year in Stockholm, this time the event will take place in Antwerp, Belgium. If Corona doesn’t interfere, there will even be a live audience at the playoffs.

Major in Belgium

The Romanian tournament organizer announced that the next CS:GO Major tournament will be organized by PGL. The event will take place from May 9th to 22nd in Antwerp, Belgium.  PGL wants to see CS:GO in front of a live audience and on the big stage again.

The venue will be the Sportspaleis arena in Antwerp, which can seat almost 20,000 spectators. The arena is easy to get to, being just 30 minutes from the airport. The Major in Antwerp is now the fifth Major in a row in Europe. The previous venues were Berlin, London, Stockholm and Katowice. It will be the first time that Belgium will host a Major and such a big CS:GO event.

Great success in Stockholm

At the end of last year, the PGL Major was held in Stockholm, which was quite successful. The Stockholm Major broke all the viewership records and almost 2.75 million viewers tuned in for the final. No wonder, because there was a prize money of a whopping 2 million euros. The prize money for the upcoming PGL Major Antwerp will be “only” 1 million dollars, which is still plenty of money.

“We are excited to have the opportunity to bring fans and players together for another CS:GO Major,” said PGL CEO Silviu Stroie. “Belgium has an impressive Counter-Strike fan base, and many legendary players were born in this country. We’re ready to deliver an incredible experience to the fans in the arena and the passionate viewers at home.”

As before, however, because of the Corona pandemic, one must expect that plans can change again at any time. Unfortunately, it has been almost common for tournaments to be canceled recently due to rising infection numbers. Viewers at home can watch the 4k broadcast of the major from May 9-22, and local visitors can purchase tickets for the playoffs, which will be held May 19-22.

It all starts with PGL conducting the qualifying stages for participating teams from around the world. The qualified teams will then compete against each other. This time, fans will probably even be able to attend the event and cheer on their favorite teams. Recently, Valve adjusted the rulebook for RMR tournaments. Among other things, teams are now divided according to the nationality of the players.