Valve is changing the CS:GO Major qualification system in 2023

The IEM Rio Major has just ended, yet the plans for next year are already in place. However, following the recent changes made by Valve, the CS:GO Major qualification system in 2023 will not be the same.

After Outsiders’ victory at the IEM Rio Major 2022, Valve decided that the Major qualification could be better achieved if the consistently top-performing teams would be allowed to skip Open Qualifiers for RMRs.

The best are invited

Today, CS:GO publisher Valve published a blog post explaining the upcoming change in Major qualifications, with further details on the new regional scoring processes to be announced in the coming weeks.

For now, all we know is that the top-ranked Counter-Strike teams that consistently perform well at Valve-hosted and third-party events but didn’t receive a direct invite to RMRs, will skip the Open Qualifier and be directly invited to the Closed Qualifier. Some teams will still be invited directly to RMR events. This new and improved system will reportedly come into effect ahead of the 2023 Paris Major.

The old way of qualifying for RMR events was either through direct invites or through a series of best-of-one single-elimination open qualifiers.

The above changes would have come in handy for teams like Astralis, who have done well in events prior to Rio Major, however, had trouble qualifying via Open Qualifiers. In cases like these, the ability to skip Open Qualifiers could reduce the chance for top teams to unexpectedly get knocked out.

Mixed reactions in the community

Naturally, such a significant change brings plenty of mixed reactions to the CS:GO community. While some agree with the change, others argue that the best teams should be able to easily eliminate weaker rosters in open qualifiers. And some are concerned about the “third-party events” that Valve indicated is planning to take into account.

But how well these changes will work remains to be seen. We’ll have to wait and see what Valve has in store for us. Luckily, there are only a few weeks left before we find out more about the following CS:GO Major in Paris.

The Champions autograph capsule

Besides qualification changes, Valve’s blog post also mentions the “Autograph Capsule of Champions”, the new in-game item meant as a tribute to Counter-Strike’s newest Major winners, Outsiders. The Russian team will all have their names immortalized in the game on glitter, holo, and gold stickers applicable on weapons.

 

Header: @luanportofoto