Counter-Strike: Global Offensive has come a long way, especially with the effect of the pandemic all over the world, limiting Valve’s and Hidden Part Entertainment’s options to host big tournaments like face-to-face events or even major games.
The CS:GO circuit is full of high-quality competitions, but the Majors continue to stand out. PGL, the same organization that hosted the 2021 Stockholm Major, will run the 17th edition of the legendary Valve-sponsored event.
The first CSGO major of 2023 is rapidly approaching. The PGL Antwerp Major will kick off on May 9th with the Challenger stage, and for the next two weeks, we’ll be able to watch the world’s best CSGO teams compete – and we now know who will be competing in the highly anticipated tournament. More than six months have gone since the Avicii Arena in Stockholm witnessed NAVI’s first significant victory in CS:GO. Now we find ourselves in front of a major in one of the most popular FPS Esport.
To reduce the number of competing teams to 24, 52 teams competed in the Regional Major Rankings games. Between the 9th and the 12th of May, 16 teams will compete in the Challenger Stage, with the top eight teams progressing to the Legends Stage, where the remaining 16 teams will compete for a seat in the Champions Stage and a chance to play in front of a crowd of over 10,000 in Antwerp’s Sportpaleis.
What You Need to Know More About PGL Major Antwerp 2023
PGL Major Antwerp is one of the anticipated events for Esports players, especially for CS:GO players, enthusiasts, panels, and talents, because it’s the first major after about two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Here’s what you need to know about the upcoming major:
Format
The Challengers Stage: May 9 – 12, 2023
- Swiss System Format for 16 Teams
- Bo3 matches are used for elimination and advancement
- All other games are in Best-of-one
- Matches are seeded using the Buchholz system and initial seeds
- The Legends Stage is reserved for the top eight teams
- Teams in the bottom eight are eliminated
The Legends Stage: May 14 – 17, 2023
- Swiss System Format for 16 Teams
- Bo3 matches are used for elimination and advancement
- All other games are in best-of-one
- Matches are seeded using the Buchholz system and initial seeds
- The top eight teams advance to the Champions Stage
- Teams in the bottom eight are eliminated
The Champions Stage: May 19 – 22, 2023
- Bracket with a single elimination
- The Legends Stage final rankings were used to seed the players
- All games are best-of-three
Prize Pool and Tournament Circuit Points
| Place | USD Distribution | Team | Pro Tour | Blast Premier |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st Place | 500,000 USD | TBA | 1800 pts | World Final + 400 pts |
| 2nd Place | 150,000 USD | TBA | 1400 pts | 2000 pts |
| 3rd Place | 70,000 USD | TBA | 1100 pts | 1250 pts |
| 4th Place | 35,000 USD | TBA | 1100 pts | 375 pts |
| 5th – 8th | 8,750 USD | TBA | 700 pts | – |
| 9th – 11th | 8,750 USD | TBA | 330 pts | – |
| 12th – 14th | – | TBA | 200 pts | – |
| 15th – 16th | – | TBA | 105 pts | – |
| 17th – 19th | – | TBA | 60 pts | – |
| 20th – 22nd | – | TBA | 20 pts | – |
Participating Teams
| LEGENDS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Team | Players/Roster | Qualified From |
| 1. | Heroic | stavn, cadiaN, TeSeS, refrezh, sjuush, Xizt | European RMR A |
| 2. | Copenhagen Flames | jabbi, nicoodoz, roeJ, HooXi, Zyphon, vorborg | European RMR B |
| 3. | BIG | tabseN, tiziaN, syrsoN, faveN, Krimbo, enkay J | European RMR A |
| 4 | Cloud9 | nafany, sh1ro, interz, Ax1Le, HObbit, groove | European RMR B |
| 5. | Furia Esports | yuurih, arT, KSCERATO, drop, saffee, tacitus | Americas RMR |
| 6. | FaZe Clan | rain, broky, Twistzz, karrigan, ropz, hanseoulo | European RMR A |
| 7. | Ninjas in Pyjamas | REZ, Plopski, hampus, es3tag, Brollan | European RMR B |
| 8. | Natus Vincere | s1mple, electroNic, Boombl4, Perfecto, b1t, B1ad3 | European RMR A |
| Challengers | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Team | Players/Roster | Qualified From |
| 9. | ENCE | Snappi, Spinx, dycha, hades, maden, sAw | European RMR B |
| 10. | G2 Esports | JACKZ, huNter-, NiKo, m0NESY, Aleksib, XTQZZZ | European RMR B |
| 11. | forZe | Jerry, KENSI, zorte, Norwi, shalfey, Fierce | European RMR A |
| 12. | Astralis | Xyp9x, gla1ve, k0nfig, blameF, farlig, trace | European RMR B |
| 13. | Team Vitality | apEX, ZywOo, misutaaa, dupreeh, Magisk, zonic | European RMR A |
| 14. | MIBR | chelo, exit, WOOD7, Tuurtle, JOTA, nak | Americas RMR |
| 15. | Imperial Esports | FalleN, fer, fnx, boltz, VINI, peacemaker | Americas RMR |
| 16. | Bad News Eagles | SENER1, gxx-, juanflatroo, sinnopsyy, rigoN, stikle- | European RMR B |
| Contenders | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Team | Players/Roster | Qualified From |
| 17. | Eternal Fire | XANTARES, woxic, Calyx, imoRR, xfl0ud, bishop | European RMR A |
| 18. | Team Spirit | chopper, magixx, degster, Patsi, s1ren, hally | European RMR B |
| 19. | Outsiders | buster, Qikert, Jame, YEKINDAR, FL1T, dastan | European RMR A |
| 20. | Complexity Gaming | JT, FaNg, floppy, Grim, junior, T.c | Americas RMR |
| 21. | IHC Esports | bLitz, Techno4k, kabal, nin9, sk0R, maaRaa | Asia-Pacific RMR |
| 22. | Renegades | Sico, INS, Hatz, aliStair, Liazz, Kingfisher | Asia-Pacific RMR |
| 23. | Team Liquid | EliGE, NAF, oSee, shox, nitr0, adreN | Americas RMR |
| 24. | 9z Team | dgt, max, rox, Luken, dav1d, zakk | Americas RMR |
Challengers Stage
| Team | Matches | Rounds | RD | BU | R1 | R2 | R3 | R4 | R5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ENCE | – | 9z Team | |||||||
| G2 Esports | – | Team Liquid | |||||||
| forZe | – | Renegades | |||||||
| Astralis | – | IHC Esports | |||||||
| Team Vitality | – | Complexity Gaming | |||||||
| MIBR | – | Outsiders | |||||||
| Imperial Esports | – | Team Spirit | |||||||
| Bad News Eagles | – | Eternal Fire | |||||||
| Eternal Fire | – | Bad News Eagles | |||||||
| Team Spirit | – | Imperial Esports | |||||||
| Outsiders | – | MIBR | |||||||
| Complexity Gaming | – | Team Vitality | |||||||
| IHC Esports | – | Astralis | |||||||
| Renegades | – | forZe | |||||||
| Team Liquid | – | G2 Esports | |||||||
| 9z Team | – | ENCE |
Broadcast Talent
Stage Host
- Frankie “Frankie” Ward
Desk Hosts
- Freya “Freya” Spiers
- Eefje “Sjokz” Depoortere
Analysts
- Jacob “Pimp” Winneche
- Matthieu “Maniac” Quiquerez
- Alex “Mauisnake” Ellenberg
Interviewer
- James Banks
Observers
- Jake “Jak3y” Elton
- Efren “encg” Chuong
- Ryan “ItsRandall” Randall
- Bastian “UnknownFME” Faber
- Markus “pinqu” Eliasen
- Jake “zarx” Karakouzian
- Marko “shev” Krajčeski
Commentators
- Chad “SPUNJ” Burchill
- Alex “Machine” Richardson
- Harry “JustHarry” Russell
- Hugo Byron
- Conner “Scrawny” Girvan
- Mohan “launders” Govindasamy
- Vince “Vince” Hill
- Sudhen “Bleh” Wahengbam
Top 3 Teams to Look Out in PGL Major Antwerp 2023
FaZe Clan
Is a professional esports and entertainment group based in the United States that was created in May 2010. Their team has been outstanding in their previous tournaments, placing first both in ESL Pro League Season 15 against ENCE and Intel Extreme Masters XVI – Katowice with a clean sweep of 3-0 against G2 Esports. With this momentum, they’re looking forward to bagging this major event.
Natus Vincere
Natus Vincere (Latin for “born to win,” and previously Na’Vi) is a professional esports organization based in Ukraine. With their playmaker “s1mple”, the team makes everyone go wild when he clutches needed points to win a match by wiping the opposing team. Also, with their streak of wins in their previous tournaments, they’re likely the crowd’s favorite on winning the PGL Major Antwerp 2023.
FURIA Esports
FURIA Esports was launched in August 2017 as a Brazilian esports organization. The team is based in the United States at the moment and is currently considered the underdog in this tournament that is able to go against popular and high-tier teams. With their recent performance in PGL Major Antwerp 2023: American RMR, the team has the potential to be part of the Legends Stage.
