PGL Major Antwerp 2022: What you need to know before the start of the Challengers stage

Today, May 9, the main event of the spring part of the season, PGL Major Antwerp 2022, will start. Traditionally, the tournament will start from the Challengers stage, after which only eight participants will make it to the next Legends stage to join the remaining eight teams. However, this is not all the information that needs to be clarified before the start of the PGL Major Antwerp 2022 Challengers Stage.

We also invite you to get acquainted with interesting facts that are full of PGL Major Antwerp 2022.

Participants of PGL Major Antwerp 2022 Challengers Stage

According to the results of the RMR tournaments, the teams were assigned two classifications, which determine the seeding in the tournament.

Teams seeded with Challengers:

• ENCE.
• G2 Esports.
• forZe.
• Astralis.
• Team Vitality.
• MIBR.
• Imperial Esports.
• Bad News Eagles.

Teams with seeded Contenders:

• Eternal Fire.
• Team Spirit.
• outsiders.
• Complexity Gaming.
• IHC Esports.
• Renegades.
• Team Liquid.
• 9z.

It was on the basis of this classification that the draw for the first round of the PGL Major Antwerp 2022 Challengers Stage took place.

Format of PGL Major Antwerp 2022 Challengers Stage

PGL Major Antwerp 2022 Challengers Stage will be held according to the Swiss system, from which only eight teams that win three matches will advance to the Legends stage. All matches, with the exception of the decisive ones, will be held in the BO1 format. At the same time, the meetings, which will be decisive in the tournament prospects, will be played in the BO3 format.

First round

To determine the starting pairs, a standard seeding system was used, which divided the teams into two baskets, depending on their performance at the RMR tournament. The teams from the first pot (Challengers) got into the teams from the second pot (Contenders). At the same time, the system is adjusted in such a way that the best team from Challengers will play with the worst team from Contenders.

Second round

For the second round, the teams will be divided into two groups: winners and losers. In this case, the teams will play each other in each group. For example, if a team from the Contenders pot ends up in the group of winners, it will still receive the lowest seed relative to the representatives of the Challengers pot.

Third round

From the third round, the so-called Buchholz system will be used. In this case, the teams will be divided into three groups: 2:0, 1:1, 0:2. In short, this system involves awarding points to teams based on the performance of their opponents. For example, a team whose opponents finish the game day with a score of "1-1" will receive 0 Buchholz points. As a result, this team will have the right to choose their opponent in the third round.

The first BO3 matches will also start in the third round, as a result of which two teams will advance to the Legends stage, and two more will leave PGL Major Antwerp 2022.

Fourth round

In the fourth round the teams will be divided into two groups: 2:1, 1:2. At this stage of the championship, all matches will be played in the BO3 format, as they are of decisive importance in the tournament prospects. Following the results of the fourth round, three more teams will advance to the Legends stage, as well as three teams will leave the competition.

Fifth round

In the final round, each team chooses an opponent it has not yet played against, based on the Buchholz system. All meetings will be held in the BO3 format, following which the last three participants of the Legends stage will be determined.

Recall that on the first day of the tournament, May 9, two rounds will be played according to the Swiss system. This was done in order to fit the PGL Major Antwerp 2022 Challengers Stage into four days, as well as to give the teams extra time to rest before the start of the next stage.

PGL Major Antwerp 2022 Challengers Stage will take place from May 9 to 12 in a studio format. During the first stage of the championship, 16 teams will compete for eight trips to the Legends Stage.