- This is a significant rase from the original $1 million prize pool
- The lowest 17 to 24 placed teams will now get $10 000 each
- The Rio Major starts on October 31
As Brazil’s first-ever CS:GO Major is coming closer, the ESL is increasing the prize pool to a total of $ 1 250 000.
ESL Increases Prize Pool
We are closing in on the competitive CS:GO year, but events won’t end without the second Valve-sponsored CS:GO tournament of the year – the IEM Rio Major. This ESL Major that will be hosted in the Brazilian metropolis, will see 24 teams from around the globe duke it out for fame, glory, and a piece of the prize pool, which has recently been increased from $1 million to $1.25 million.
The quarter million dollars that are added on top of the original prize pool mean that now all of the participating 24 teams will receive a share of the money, no matter how they place. Before the increase, teams on spots 17 to 24 would not have earned any prize money whatsoever. With this change, they will now receive $10 000 for their placing. The rest of the money was allocated across the other placings, with the Major’s champion getting the $500 000 grand prize.
With this change, the Rio Major’s prize pool now surpasses that of 16 other Majors in the past. The only Major that tops Brazil's first-ever CS:GO, Major, is the Stockholm Major, which offered $2 million in prize pool because of the lack of similar events during the Covid-19 lockdowns. For comparison, the first CS:GO Major in 2013, called DreamHack Winter, offered a $250 000 prize pool. That value held until MLG Columbus 2016, when the prize pool first reached $1 million.
What Can We Expect from the Tournament?
“From October 31st to November 13th Brazil's first-ever CS:GO Major will take place in the heart of South America: Rio de Janeiro!” says the event’s official website. The event will have a few stages, starting with the Challengers, which will be held between October 31 and November 3. This will be followed by the Legends stage, taking place between November 5 to 8. Both stages will be held in front of a live audience at Riocentro in Hall 6.
The final stage, appropriately named Champions, will take place at Jeunesse Arena between November 10 and 13. The finals will also host a massive Fan Fest outside Jeunesse Arena to accommodate more fans at the Major, many of them watching on the big screen.
