The entire Counter-Strike world has since January, where the announcement of the next CS:GO Major was declared, been waiting hopefully for the upcoming PGL Major in Stockholm in October, after having gone 1.5 years without a Major Championship.
PGL host the first Major after a two-year break
However, the much-awaited tournament may not become a reality at all.
Because Valve’s other game Dota 2 has just released an official statement that their TI10 event in Stockholm this year, which is equivalent to the Major in CS:GO, has been cancelled owing to the Coronavirus and the Swedish Sports Federation having voted not to accept esports into the sports federation.
– “… despite previous reassurances, we were informed two weeks ago that the Swedish Sports Federation had just voted not to accept esports into the sports federation
With the Minister of the Interior failing to recognize The International – Dota 2 Championships as an elite sporting event, anyone attempting to procure a visa for travel into Sweden for TI10 (including players, talent, and staff) would be denied.”
– An extract from Dota2’s statement.
The fact that Dota 2’s TI10 isn’t getting categorized as an elite sporting event and the ongoing global pandemic, which means they can’t guarantee a visa for the teams, players, fans, and so on. Something which can have huge consequences for the upcoming CS:GO Major as well, owing to the PGL Major being held in nearly the same period as the Dota 2 event.
Neither Valve nor PGL has commented on the matter yet, however, it may look like the Major has to be moved to another location if they wish to carry through with the highly-anticipated. Here at Pley, we’ll follow the situation closely in the coming days to keep you updated.
Here are some of the reactions from the CS:GO world:
