The ESL One Rio CS:GO Major has been delayed until late November due to the coronavirus pandemic, the tournament organizer announced today. The eﷺvent was originally scheduled to take place in May, with the preceding Minors being played throughout April. The tournament has now ta🏅ken the place of 2020’s second CS:GO Major,🐻 with the second event being canceled altogether. The prize pool has also been combined with that of the second Major, for a total of $2,000,൩000.
Scheduled as the 16th CS:GO Major championship, ESL One Rio was meant to begin on May 11th in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The preceding Minors were set to take place in April, sen🐲ding two teams🧸 from four different regions to the main event. CS:GO Majors bring 24 of the world’s best teams together in a fight for a $1,000,000 prize pool. Te🍸ams who placed 9-14th at the previous Major gain an invite to the Challengers Stage, while the top eight teams are placed in the Legends Stage. The additional ten teams advance from the regional Minor circuit.
ESL One Rio has now 🧔officially been post🅺poned, taking the place of 2020’s second CS:GO Major. ESL's VP of Pro Gaming Michal "Carmac" Blicharz states in a , "There will be one CS:GO Major this year. The prize pools of the May and November Ma😼jors have been added together, making🧜 the prize purse for this Major $2,000,000." The event will begin on November 9th and run unti𝔍l t🧸he 22nd. ESL One Rio will be the first CS:GO Major to take place in South America.
T꧅he Rio Major is not the o🎶nly esports to be affected by the COVID-19 outbreak. ESL’s Dota 2 Los Angeles Major wa🌳s postponed𒆙, and the following Dota Pro Circuit Major and Minor were outrig🌟ht canceled. Premier CS:GO and Starcraft II event IEM Katowice♛ went on without a live crowd. Multip🐷le Overwatch Leag🍃ue homestand events have been canceled, a൲nd professional League of Legends leagues have been moved online.
The ESL One Rio Major will take place in November at the Jeunesse Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Tickets purchased for the May tournament will remain valid, and ticke🍸t holders who do not wish to keep theirs may ask for a refund. Further information regarding team qualification will be released in the coming months.