StarLadder to host next Major in Berlin
StarLadder has announced that it will be the host of the 2019's second CS:GO Major, set to be held in the city of Berlin. The full circuit will take place between July 17th and September 8th, with the final stage taking place in the 14,000 seater Mercedes-Benz Arena.
This will be the first time StarLadder has won the right to host the Major, however it will not be the first time they have organized events in the Major circuits, having hosted the first three CIS Minor Championships. To assist in that they have lined up long-term partner ImbaTV to co-organize the event, and act as Chinese broadcasters. This will also be the first time the Major has returned to Germany, having last been held in the country in 2016.
As has been the theme since the FACEIT London Major, StarLadder will be hosting all stages of the circuit in Berlin, to "allow the teams who successfully qualified for the main event to avoid problems with entry visas and focus on preparation."
This Major will be held immediately after the scheduled player break concludes, unlike the FACEIT London Major which was offset by a number of weeks, with DreamHack Masters Stockholm the first post-break premier event in 2018. The full schedule of the StarLadder Berlin Major is as follows:
- July 17th - 21st: Europe and Americas Minors
- July 24th - 28th: CIS and Asia Minors
- July 29th: Minor 3rd Place Play-in
- August 20th - 25th: New Challengers Stage
- August 27th - September 1st: New Legends Stage
- September 5th - 8th: New Champions Stage
The venues for the stages before the New Champions stage are still to be announced. However StarLadder have recently begun a presence in Berlin for the upcoming PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds Europe League (PEL), so that studio could be a potential venue for some of the stages.
The prize pool for the Major and Minors will remain at the same level as IEM Katowice, $1,000,000 for the Major and $50,000 for each region of the Minor. Qualification details will be announced at a later date, and tickets for the finals will go on sale in April.
The announcement comes just after the New Challengers stage of the IEM Katowice Major has concluded, where North American-based teams Cloud9, NRG and Renegades secured places in the next stage to meet fellow regional rivals compLexity, MIBR and Liquid. IEM Katowice's New Legends resumes this Wednesday with all teams fighting for a win to secure an automatic place in Berlin.
