ELEAGUE to Host $1 Million Valve Major in Boston
North America is about to witness an exciting Counter-Strike: Global Offensive competition as ELEAGUE presents the first $1 million Valve Major of 2018 in Boston. This tournament will mark the 12th Major event in CS:GO’s history.
The ELEAGUE Major: Boston will feature 16 of the world’s top CS:GO teams competing over two weeks to crown a new international Counter-Strike champion. The playoffs will take place at Boston University’s Agganis Arena, from Friday, Jan. 26 to Sunday, Jan. 28. Fans can catch all the action live on TBS, Twitch, YouTube, and ELEAGUE’s website.
Strong Support for ELEAGUE Major
Valve’s decision to host the second ELEAGUE Major in just two years is a testament to their confidence in the tournament organizer. Last January, the ELEAGUE Major: Atlanta set new engagement records with an intense grand final match between Astralis and Virtus Pro, which was one of the most thrilling series of the year.
Confirmed Teams and Qualifiers
The eight Legend teams who have secured their spots in the Boston Major are Gambit Esports, Astralis, Virtus Pro, Fnatic, SK Gaming, BIG, North, and the former Immortals roster. These teams earned their positions by reaching the playoffs and placing in the top eight at the PGL Krakow Major in July.
The ELEAGUE Major Qualifier will feature teams who qualified for the previous major last July. This includes Cloud9, G2 Esports, FlipSid3 Tactics, Natus Vincere, Mousesports, former PENTA Sports, FaZe Clan, and Vega Squadron. The remaining eight spots will be determined after all four offline Minor Qualifiers have concluded, with the Major Qualifier taking place in Atlanta, Georgia from Jan. 12 to Jan. 15.
New Format and Preparation Time
In contrast to previous majors, the group stage of the Boston Major will be held in Atlanta, Georgia at Turner Studios from Jan. 19 to Jan. 22. This change allows teams to have more rest time between stages, giving them the opportunity to meticulously strategize and prepare before competing on the CS:GO servers.
Qualification Process
To qualify for the major, teams must survive their region’s offline Minor Qualifier as well as the international offline Major Qualifier. Two spots per region—America, Asia, Europe, and CIS—will be available in the Major Qualifier. The CIS Minor will be held in Bucharest, Romania from Oct. 26 to Oct. 29, while the Asian Minor takes place in Seoul, South Korea during the same weekend. Bucharest will also host the European Minor from Nov. 2 to Nov. 5, and the Americas Minor will be held in Toronto, Canada.
On-the-rise teams looking to reach the minors must compete in the early open online stages of the qualifiers. CIS, North American, South American, and European teams can participate in the brackets for a chance to qualify for the offline minors. Asian teams will receive direct invitations to the earlier stages.
Stay Tuned for More Information
As the tournament draws nearer, more details about the Boston Major—including the talent lineup, formats, and scheduling—will be announced in the upcoming weeks and months.
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