First CS:GO Major of 2021 announced with a record prize pool

Since the global COVID-19 pandemic hit, Valve cancelled multiple CS:GO Majors, as these massive tournaments need to take place on LAN. Now, we finally know when the next CS:GO Major will take place, and CS:GO esports fans can mark their calendars.

PGL Major Stockholm 2021

As announced by PGL Esports, the first Major of 2021 will take place between 23 October and 7 November 2021. This is, of course, if all safety conditions to hold live, competitive events, are fully met by that time. Yes, CS:GO will return to Sweden. In case you didn’t know, the first CS:GO Major took place in Sweden back in November 2013.

This will be the 16th CS:GO Major, and the main event will be held in front of a live audience at the Ericsson Globe in Stockholm from 4 to 7 November 2021. The PGL Major Stockholm 2021 will also feature the biggest prize pool in CS:GO esports history, a whopping $2 million. At the current Dollar to Rand exchange rate, that’s roughly R30.4 million.

The CEO of PGL, Silviu Stroie, explains:

“First of all, my colleagues and I are passionate fans of CS. We grew up and watched this game getting bigger and bigger, just at the same pace as our development as a company. We have timeless memories with our past Counter-Strike shows, and, honestly, we owe a lot to this game, as players and as a company. We believe that this community deserves the best product this franchise has ever seen. Our goal is to celebrate the game in the best way possible, and we will work hard for this.”

A total of 24 teams will compete for their share of the mammoth prize pool. Teams will be able to qualify via a series of Regional Major Ranking (RMR) events throughout 2021. Valve will share more details about the 2021 RMR soon. For those who can’t wait to watch the CS:GO esports action, the next Major will be streamed in 4K 60fps.

Header image via Valve.