Sweden Lifts One of the Restrictions Preventing the Major from Happening in Stockholm

The Swedish government has adopted an amendment to the entry ban from third countries, lifting one of the restrictions preventing the CS:GO major from happening in Stockholm. The change allows participants of select esports competitions to enter the country if they present a negative COVID-19 test result. The amendment comes in force on August 23rd.

Allowing players and staff to enter the country without issues was one of the two requirements to hold the PGL Major in Stockholm, as it was planned originally. The other one is to allow organizing events with a massive live audience in indoor venues – the event is expected to take place at Avicii Arena with a 16,000 capacity. The tournament’s organizers expect the authorities to make this change by September 15th.

After losing The International 10, Stockholm was risking to also lose the CS:GO major since the country failed to recognize esports and give players the same rules that apply for traditional athletes. For this reason, PGL have prepared to relocate the event to another European city, with the dates – from October 23rd to November 7th – remaining the same. PGL Major Stockholm will be the first major since summer of 2019 and feature a record $2,000,000 prize pool.