Had it not been for the initiative and enthusiasm on the part of Stockholm’s mayor, the Major in Sweden might not have happened at all. In this post, the CS.MONEY Blog will tell you 10 fun facts about PGL Major Stockholm 2021. Let’s find out which ones you’d known before 🙂
1. That’s right, Stockholm, and with an audience too
After The International 10 was moved from Stockholm to Bucharest due to COVID-related restrictions, there was no certainty whether the CS:GO Major in the Swedish capital would happen. Some even expected the Rio de Janeiro scenario to repeat itself. But the mayor of Stockholm, Anna König Jerlmyr, saved the day for Valve and the teams. She urged the government of Sweden to grant the tournament a special status, removing strict restrictions concerning its participants. And fortunately for all of us, PGL Major Stockholm 2021 received that status indeed.
2. Venue: Avicii Arena
The Avicii Arena (formerly Ericsson Globe) is the world’s largest hemispherical building! It’s the home arena of the Swedish national ice hockey team and has hosted five world ice hockey championships! Moreover, it was twice the venue of the Eurovision Song Contest: in 2000 and 2016.
The Globe Arena has hosted esports events as well: in 2012, it housed the 2012 StarCraft II World Championship Series.
The capacity of the stadium ranges between 14,000 and 16,000 depending on the type of event. How large do you think will the audience of CS:GO fans be at the venue during PGL Major Stockholm 2021?
3. PGL Major Stockholm: 779 days after Berlin
779 days have intervened between the end of Starladder Berlin Major 2019 and the beginning of PGL Major Stockholm 2021. Over this period, a lot has changed in the Major tournament structure. We’re going to cover the most significant changes.
Change of qualifying format
During the pandemic, Valve introduced a new qualifying system for the Major. Under the RMR system, several local tournaments were held where all teams would fight on equal terms and gain RMR points for good performance. Penalties were part of the system too. Substitutions in a team’s lineup resulted in points forfeits. On top of that, points could be forfeited at the discretion of the devs. For instance, teams whose coaches had exploited the “coach bug” lost RMR points in 2020.
Change of venue & tournament operator
The situation in the world resulted in the Major getting postponed as well as the venue getting changed. Initially, the ESL Major was set to be held in the sunny city of Rio de Janeiro in May 2020. Later, the event was moved to the fall. However, the epidemiological situation in Brazil at the time made a Major tournament impossible in the country. Then came the announcement of the PGL Major, with Stockholm as the chosen venue.
4. Young & dangerous
PGL Major Stockholm 2021 features many promising and young teams, but the youngest of them all is GODSENT, performing under the Brazilian flag. The 26-year-old Epitácio “TACO” de Melo and the 24-year-old João “felps” Vasconcellos gathered around them three promising Brazilians who are under 19 years. The average age of the team amounts to 21.6 years.
Despite their young age, GODSENT have already defeated teams of their own level as well as more renowned opponents on their journey to the Major, including paiN, Extra Salt, Evil Geniuses, and Team Liquid.
5. The oldest team
Besides the young and dangerous, the tournament will feature G2, who are the oldest team at PGL Major Stockholm. The oldest player in the club is 29-year-old Audric “JaCkz” Jug, with the roster’s youngest members being Nikola “Niko” Kovač and Nemanja “nexa” Isaković (both 24 years old). The squad’s average age is 26.5.
6. The most PGL Major Stockholm 2021 attendees came from…
PGL Major Stockholm 2021 will gather players from 26 countries.
Most of the players come from Brazil: that’s 21 — 6 more compared to the previous Major. By the way, the best player in the history of all Majors, Brazilian Marcelo “coldzera” David, isn’t going to Stockholm as a participant this year, and that’s the second time he’s missing a Major in a row.
The second-largest delegation is from Denmark: 20 people. The key teams representing the country are Heroic, Astralis, and Copenhagen Flames.
Debutant countries are there too. Marek “YEKINDAR” Galinskis and Helvijs “broky” Saukants represent Latvia. Israel is another novice country in the Major, represented by Lotan “Spinx” Giladi.
Follow all the teams, players, and developments at PGL Major Stockholm 2021 in the CS.MONEY Major hub! What’s more: there, you get to participate in challenges and win great prizes! Visit CS.MONEY Major hub and use promo code XYCOT99D to receive 2000 coins! Watching the Major in the CS.MONEY Major hub brings the fun to the next level!
7. Substitutions — lots of them…
It’s hard to believe, but there isn’t a single team at PGL Major Stockholm that hasn’t made a reshuffle since Starladder Berlin Major 2019.
Astralis proved the closest to keeping the roster intact. In the spring of 2021, Nicolai “device” Reedtz left them, with Philip “Lucky” Ewald replacing him after a long trial-and-error period.
Still, this might not have worked out excellently. A few months before the Major, the Danish lineup broke into a reshuffle spell involving three players: Xyp9x, gla1ve, and Bubzkji. Eventually, Astralis opted for Bubzkji. Nevertheless, it’s gla1ve who’s going to Stockholm instead.
8. The only tag that’s attended all Majors
PGL Major Stockholm 2021 will be the 16th Major tournament in CS:GO history. To date, there’s only one organization that has participated in every such tournament. A three-time finalist of the prestigious competition, one of the favorites in the upcoming Major, Natus Vincere has never dropped out of the attendees’ list in such tournaments. Yet, paradoxically, they haven’t won any of them so far. Who knows, maybe they’ll finally get a hold of the much-coveted trophy in Stockholm.
9. Host team at PGL Major Stockholm
The tournament’s host is Sweden. Unfortunately, the only club from the country that was able to qualify for the Major is NIP. The young squad led by Nicolai “dev1ce” Reedtz began to gain momentum just in time for PGL Major Stockholm, as evidenced by their victory in IEM Fall 2021 Europe. The team’s other accomplishments include second place in the HLTV world ranking, providing solid proof that NIP are more than able to win the home tournament to the roar of their native tribunes.
10. The most “novice-packed” Major?
Another unique fact. 60 of the 120 PGL Major Stockholm 2021 players are attending a Major tournament for the first time in their lives! This is the highest percentage of newcomers in the entire history of Majors. The explanation is quite simple: in the course of two years, many famous players have finished their careers, getting replaced by promising “stars.” Some have changed teams and couldn’t make it to the year’s biggest tournament, courtesy of the mighty lineups in the RMR season tournaments.
PGL Major Stockholm 2021 is already in full swing. Visit the CS.MONEY Blog and the CS.MONEY Major hub if you want to stay in the know about all the most exciting events in the world of CS:GO!
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