Antwerp announced as host venue for the year’s first Major.

One of Europe’s biggest esports organisations, PGL has announced that it will be hosting the first CS:GO Major of 2022. The premier Counter-Strike tournament is set to be held in Antwerp, Belgium between May 9 and May 22, 2022. The tournament is reported to have a prize pool of US$1 million.

The GL CS:GO MAJOR Antwerp 2022 will be the fifth consecutive Major that will be held in Europe, after the previous ones were held in London, Katowice, Berlin and Stockholm. PGL hopes to bring back the game in front of the audience at the Antwerps Sportpaleis, which can host a total of 18,000 people. This will also be the first time a Major tournament will be held in Belgium with the country’s most notable tournament hosting rights coming at the Charleroi Esports in 2019.

Silviu Stroie, CEO PGL, commented:

“We are glad to have the opportunity to bring back the fans and players together for another CS: GO Major. Belgium has an impressive Counter-Strike fan base, and many legendary players were born in this country. We are ready to offer an incredible experience for the fans inside the arena and the passionate viewers at home.

“Belgium was our first option for the Major because it is situated in the heart of Europe. The location is accessible for everyone, and Sportpaleis is only 30 minutes away from the Brussels airport.”

Bart De Wever, Mayor of Antwerp, also spoke about the event being scheduled to be held in the city, adding:

“We are very excited to see this top-tier esports championship happening in Antwerp. The CS: GO Majors have millions of viewers, and tens of thousands of fans will visit our city to attend the matches. It is also the first time this tournament will take place in Belgium or the Netherlands. It puts Antwerp on the map internationally as a hotspot for esports, an immensely interesting and fast-developing sector.”

The event will be the second Major to be broadcast in 4K after last year’s Stockholm Major. The tournament in Belgium will also be PGL’s third CS:GO Major after Kraków 2017 and Stockholm 2021. 

PGL is all set to host the final Regional Major Ranking (RMR) tournaments as well, which will decide the teams that will qualify for the Major in Antwerp. It is reported that the RMR events will be LAN events and will be held in the Americas, EU, CIS and Asia & Oceania regions. PGL will announce the details for the RMR events shortly.

The organisers also spoke about keeping the global pandemic situation in mind before making decisions, stating:

“We keep a close eye on the global pandemic situation, we are checking every detail, and we are ready to adapt our plans to ensure the safety of everyone involved in this tournament.”

It was reported that the second Major of 2022 is likely to be hosted in Rio de Janeiro by ESL between end October and November.