ESL has confirmed that it will host the first Counter-Strike: Global Offensive Major event of 2020 with ESL One Rio.
The Major will take place at the Jeunesse Arena over May 21st-24th, with a total prize pool of $1 million (£758,770).
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Ulrich Schulze, Senior Vice President Product at ESL discussed the event in a release: “We are extremely excited and proud to host the next Major in Brazil. Our aim is to bring pure esports moments to the most passionate fans around the world and reward them by creating a unique experience on all levels. With teams from all over the world having a chance to qualify and making their way to the final, we expect the matches to be incredible and the crowd to be the loudest we have ever seen.”
ESL One Rio will be a big part of the ESL Pro Tour, a newly-devised circuit that ties together ESL and DreamHack events. As one of the Championship tournaments in the tour, the team that wins ESL One Rio will be one step closer to completing the Intel Grand Slam.
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Carlos Augusto Buarque, Marketing Director of Intel Brazil also commented on the event: “Intel is excited to bring to Brazil this important ESL championship. The gaming and esports market has grown exponentially in the past years not only in Brazil, but also around the world, and we continue our mission to invest and develop leading gaming products focused on this market.”
ESL One Rio is the third ESL tournament to take place in Brazil, but is the first CS:GO Major to ever count South America as its home. Tickets for the tournament will go on sale on December 12th.
Esports Insider says: It’s good to see the event finally confirmed by ESL! Brazil has played a major part in the history of Counter-Strike so it’s only right that it has the honour of hosting a prestigious CS:GO event. We have no doubt that the turn-out and atmosphere will be titanic!