CS2 Major Starts
The PGL Bucharest Counter‑Strike 2 Major kicks off April 4, opening a packed Easter weekend of matches that matter for pro rankings and viewer momentum. (gamereactor.eu) Favorites listed for the event include PARIVISION, The MongolZ and Astralis, with Vitality still viewed as a benchmark after recent majors — ZywOo even notched his 30th career MVP and posted a 1.39 rating at Cluj‑Napoca, which raises the competitive bar going into Bucharest. (gamereactor.eu) (lis-skins.com)
PGL Bucharest is a week‑long, in‑person Counter‑Strike 2 tournament running April 4–11 with 16 teams and a total prize pool of $1.25 million that is split equally between player payouts and organization (club) shares. (dotesports.com) The event starts with a multi‑round group phase where each match is played over up to three maps (the first team to win two maps takes the match); any team that reaches three match wins advances to the playoffs while teams with three losses are eliminated, and the final eight teams move on to single‑elimination playoffs with the grand final played over up to five maps (first to three wins). (liquipedia.net) (gamereactor.eu) The tournament also carries Valve Regional Standings (VRS) weight, meaning teams earn ranking points from their Bucharest results that feed into Valve’s official system for Major invitations and seeding — that system calculates points from recent prize money, opponent strength and LAN performance. (hltv.org) (esportsinsider.com) A handful of originally invited squads pulled out and were replaced before the start: MIBR stepped in for paiN, Inner Circle replaced Imperial, EYEBALLERS replaced M80, and Wildcard replaced The Huns, leaving only three teams from the top‑10 global rankings in the final lineup. (dotesports.com) (hltv.org) PGL published the day‑one slate: FUT Esports vs Inner Circle, B8 vs Wildcard, The MongolZ vs BC.Game Esports, PARIVISION vs Legacy, 3DMAX vs FOKUS, NRG vs Voca, Astralis vs MIBR, and FaZe Clan vs EYEBALLERS — eight opening fixtures scheduled across April 4. (gamereactor.eu) Prize money is tiered by placement with first place receiving $200,000 plus a matching $200,000 club share, second $93,750 (+$93,750 club share), and the rest of the payout ladder published by the organizer and event trackers. (hltv.org)
