PGL Major Stockholm

The sixteenth CS:GO Major, held in Stockholm, won by Natus Vincere without losing a map.

The PGL Major Stockholm 2021, also known as PGL Major 2021 or Stockholm 2021, was the sixteenth Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) Major Championship. It was held in Stockholm, Sweden at the Avicii Arena from October 26 to November 7, 2021. Twenty-four teams qualified via regional major rankings. It featured a prize pool, a rise from the of previous Majors due to the absence of offline competition amid the COVID-19 pandemic. It was the second Major hosted by the Romanian organization PGL, after PGL Major: Kraków 2017. Stockholm 2021 was the first Major after a break caused by the COVID-19 pandemic following the StarLadder Major: Berlin 2019. The Major was won by Natus Vincere, who did not lose a single map throughout the tournament.

Quick Facts

Host city: Stockholm, Sweden
Venue: Avicii Arena
Champion: Natus Vincere (NaVi)

Lore & Background

Counter-Strike: Global Offensive is a multiplayer first-person shooter video game developed by Hidden Path Entertainment and Valve Corporation. It is the fourth game in the Counter-Strike series. In professional CS:GO, the Valve-sponsored Majors are the most prestigious tournaments. The Stockholm Major was the first Major in two years following an absence in offline play in 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Previously, the ESL One Rio Major 2020 was planned for May 2020, but was postponed to November, before later being canceled in September. The defending champions were Astralis, who won their fourth Major at Berlin 2019. They were eliminated in the Legends stage after their loss to Team Vitality.

Reader's Guide

The Challengers stage, also known as the Preliminary stage and formerly known as the offline qualifier, is a sixteen team swiss tournament. The New Legends Stage saw the top 8 teams proceed to the New Champions Stage and the bottom 8 teams eliminated. The New Champions Stage was a single-elimination bracket with all matches played as best-of-3 maps. The quarterfinals were Heroic vs. Virtus.pro, G2 Esports vs. Ninjas in Pyjamas, FURIA Esports vs. Gambit Esports, and Natus Vincere vs. Team Vitality. The semifinals were Heroic vs. G2 Esports and Natus Vincere vs. Gambit Esports. The finals were Natus Vincere vs. G2 Esports.