Valve has introduced a regional ranking-based qualification system for the upcoming ESL One Rio Major, the CS:GO developer team announced today. ESL One Rio was originally scheduled to take place in May, but was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It has been combined with 2020’s second CS:GO Major, and will go on in November with a $2,000,000 prize pool.
Previously, teams who placed top eight at a CS:GO Major received a direct invite to the following Major. As the Rio Major will take place over a year after StarLadder Berlin, all teams will have to prove their worth by earning Regional Major Ranking points through various tournaments. As most teams will be separated by region in the coming months, the ranking will only compare teams against those in their region. Teams with the most points in each region will then earn an invite to the Rio Major in November, either as Contenders, Challengers, or Legends.
The first event of the revamped qualification circuit will be ESL One: Road to Rio, a 56-team online tournament spread out across the six major regions. Road to Rio will run from April 22nd to May 17th with a $225,000 prize pool on offer, filling the scheduling void left by the Rio Major’s cancellation.
Valve also confirmed the Rio Major will not have regional Minors preceding the main event. Regional Major Ranking points will be available at additional future events, though none have been named yet.
