PGL confirms the next CSGO Major will be held in Stockholm

Counter-Strike: Global Offensive’s biggest tournament in history has finally been confirmed for Stockholm, Sweden. 

After months of uncertainty, things are finally falling into place for CSGO. PGL has confirmed that the 2021 CSGO major will take place in the home of Counter-Strike, Sweden. 

“With all indoor restrictions lifted, Avicii Arena is ready to be packed with fans again, for the first time in the last 15 months,” the PGL announces in a press release.

The news is huge for CS fans who have been on their toes since the relocation of Dota 2’s The International 2021 from Stockholm to Bucharest, Romania. The country’s immigration system offered free entry for those participating in “elite sporting competitions” but this was not extended to esports competitors. This forced The International 2021 to be moved and threatened to do the same to the Stockholm Major.

This was cleared up in time for the Stockholm Major, but there was still uncertainty whether the next CSGO major would still take place there and if so, what the event would look like. There were questions about whether PGL would commit to having the event move forward without a live crowd, but it seems that things are now set in stone.

When is PGL Stockholm Major? 

The PGL Stockholm Major will kick off with the first of three stages on October 26. The Romania-based organizer has announced that fans can grab their tickets to watch their favorite teams lock horns live in the playoffs. PGL will begin ticket sales for the events on September 22 at 3 a.m. CT. The last four days of play will be at the Avicii Arena between November 4 and 7, and will include a live audience. 

The Avicii Arena, previously known as the Ericsson Globe, hosted DreamHack Masters Stockholm in 2018 but, this will be the first major event in front of a large crowd since September 2019 in Berlin, Germany. Avicii Arena can accommodate approximately 14,000 spectators, and the organizer aims to have it full for the playoffs stage. While the event is already the most anticipated one so far, the developer kicked things up a notch by raising the prize pool to $2 million, the biggest in CSGO history.

The Regional Major Ranking will determine the 24 teams participating in PGL Major Stockholm, with 11 teams from Europe, five from North America, five from CIS, and one from Asia, Oceania, and South America.