The road to the major has narrowed.
All 52 teams that are still in have been decided. Next, the field will be narrowed to less than half as we turn towards the actual major.
This will be the first time in the cycle many of the favorites are invited, and teams like Navi and Vitality will have to prove their worth against the teams who qualified through the open qualifier.
Europe will of course be the most represented, with 16 slots in the major up for grabs, while Asia will get 2 and the combination of Americas will get 6.
The European group is split into an A and a B side, with each of them consisting of 16 teams. There are a pile of top teams in those sections, including the defending champions Navi and the defending second-place Faze.
The Americas section is somewhat less stacked. Liquid is always gonna be a team people think about when they think about North American CS, but this roster has too much to prove and too little to their name for optimism.
It’s also never a good sign when the only team that’s invited straight to this round is Furia, who didn’t exactly have the best performance at Katowice.
From Asia, there are just four teams vying for two spots in the contender's stage as a representative from each of China, Oceania, Asia and the Middle East will be competing.
In other major-related news, tickets are on sale. There’s no bundle, so fans will have to buy a ticket for each day they want to attend.
Never miss a thing! Get our recap of the biggest news and matches straight to your inbox, twice a week.
