Photo Credit: HLTV
With the CS:GO ELEAGUE Major about 2 weeks away, here is a brief overview of the event. The major will take place from Janurary 22-29 at the Fox Theatre in Atlanta, Georgia. There will be a total of sixteen teams participating, the top eight from the previous major and eight other teams who have qualified. Already, the first round matchups have been drawn with the group stages being played in the increasing popular Swiss format. Simply put, teams will play other teams with a similar record and three wins will advance a team while three losses will eliminate a team. The playoffs will be played in a standard tournament bracket between the eight teams that make it out of the groups.
First Round Matchups
| Gambit | vs. North |
| fnatic | vs. G2 |
| SK | vs. HellRaisers |
| Virtus.pro | vs. OpTic |
| Natus Vincere | vs. mousesports |
| Liquid | vs. EnVyUs |
| Astralis | vs. GODSENT |
| FlipSid3 | vs. FaZe |
Predictions
With so many good teams in the mix and also some of the teams not playing in tournaments recently, it is hard to determine which teams have the advantage. However, expect the top teams such as SK, Natus Vincere, and Astralis to pass through easily while the other teams fight for the remaining spots. The major is a tournament where anything can happen so expect exciting matches and some upsets as teams bring their best to the table.