PGL Major Copenhagen Europe RMR A teams, format, schedule, prizes, talent

The first of the Major-qualifying RMRs is set to kick off on Wednesday with 16 teams fighting to book their tickets to Copenhagen.

The IEM Katowice finalists, FaZe, will start their Major charge in the Europe RMR A

One of the most intense periods on the calendar is set to kick off on February 14: the Major RMRs. The qualifying tournaments have become incredibly important for all involved, as a Major berth can fill an organization's coffers with money from the lucrative in-game sticker sales. While the prestige of the qualifying round itself is not the highest in terms of competitiveness due to its extensive team pool and format — the best teams won't necessarily meet and they aren't fighting for a title —, its importance can't be understated.

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If the first CS2 RMR continues to shake up the world order as the last CS:GO Major's RMR did, it could be a minefield for the favorites, and no team is safe from falling short of making it to Counter-Strike's biggest stage when the pressure is on. Astralis and G2 are some of the big-name teams to have missed their mark at an RMR in the past, to name two examples.

The RMR can also become a stage for up-and-coming teams and players to make a name for themselves. Natus Vincere's Justinas "⁠jL⁠" Lekavicius and Mihai "⁠iM⁠" Ivan or Falcons' Mohammad "⁠BOROS⁠" Malhas are a testament to this, having shone bright enough at the BLAST.tv Paris Major to draw the interest of teams with more resources than those they were in.

No time is spared even though fans still have the taste of Danil "⁠donk⁠" Kryshkovets's eruption onto top-tier play at IEM Katowice dancing on their tongues. The first RMR, Europe A, will run on February 14-17, kicking off a domino effect followed by Europe B on February 19-22, Asia on February 26-28, and finally Americas on March 1-3.

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Participating teams and format

The European RMRs, both A and B, will be 16-team Swiss groups played on LAN in a studio environment in Bucharest, Romania, from which the top eight will qualify for the Major. Three teams from each of the RMRs will also have a chance to make it to the Last Chance Qualifer, where one team will punch a ticket to the Major in Copenhagen.

The first RMR has teams of the stature of FaZe — who just come out of the IEM Katowice grand final, where they lost to Spirit —, Natus Vincere, Virtus.pro, or G2. Finn "⁠karrigan⁠" Andersen and his men won't want to skip a beat, however, lest they find themselves in a similar situation as at the last RMR, when it cost blood, sweat, and tears to make it through in the Last Chance Qualifier.

Other teams, such as Falcons or Eternal Fire have already shown potential on LAN and will be gunning for their Major spot, while many of the teams used to grinding online will be eager to finally prove themselves outside of the tier 2-3 mud pit and in the pristine waters of offline play.

The full Europe RMR A team list is:

FaZe
Natus Vincere
Virtus.pro
G2
Falcons
Eternal Fire
BetBoom
9 Pandas

Ninjas in Pyjamas
SAW
AMKAL
KOI
fnatic
3DMAX
Enterprise
Into the Breach

Schedule

The first day of play, Wednesday, February 14, will see 16 best-of-ones transpire: opening matches and matches from the 1-0 and 0-1 pools. The first two rounds of the second day will also be BO1, from the 1-1 pool, after which series play will take over in qualification, elimination, and decider matches until the Swiss group ends on Saturday.

The opening matches are:

Date	Matches
PGL CS2 Major Copenhagen 2024 Europe RMR A
14/02/2024	FaZe 12:00 9 Pandas	Match
14/02/2024	Virtus.pro 12:00 SAW	Match
14/02/2024	G2 12:55 Into the Breach	Match
14/02/2024	Natus Vincere 13:00 KOI	Match
14/02/2024	Eternal Fire 14:05 Ninjas in Pyjamas	Match
14/02/2024	AMKAL 14:15 Enterprise	Match
14/02/2024	BetBoom 15:20 fnatic	Match
14/02/2024	3DMAX 15:20 Falcons	Match

For the full schedule, click here.

Prizes

The prizes are, quite simply, qualifying for the Major and securing a payout from sticker sales. Eight teams will make it straight out of the Swiss stage from the RMR, while three more will have a chance to fight for one more spot in a separate six-team Last Chance Qualifier along with three more teams from the RMR B.

1-2. PGL CS2 Major Copenhagen 2024
1-2. PGL CS2 Major Copenhagen 2024
3-5. PGL CS2 Major Copenhagen 2024
3-5. PGL CS2 Major Copenhagen 2024
3-5. PGL CS2 Major Copenhagen 2024
6-8. PGL CS2 Major Copenhagen 2024
6-8. PGL CS2 Major Copenhagen 2024
6-8. PGL CS2 Major Copenhagen 2024
9-11. Last Chance Qualifier
9-11. Last Chance Qualifier
9-11. Last Chance Qualifier

Talent lineup

A talent roster of 22 people has been put together for the RMRs, ranging from regulars such as Chad "⁠SPUNJ⁠" Burchill, Alex "⁠Machine⁠" Richardson, Anders "⁠Anders⁠" Blume, Jason "⁠moses⁠" O'Toole, Jacob "⁠Pimp⁠" Winneche or Mathieu "⁠Maniac⁠" Quiquerez, among other usual suspects at Big Events, among a field of less experienced casters.

The full RMR talent roster is:

Desk hosts

Pala "⁠Pala⁠" Gilroy Sen
Jasmine "⁠Veracity⁠" Kanuga

Analysts

Jacob "⁠Pimp⁠" Winneche
Mathieu "⁠Maniac⁠" Quiquerez
Sudhen "⁠Bleh⁠" Wahengbam
Geordie "⁠Mac⁠" McAleer
Dustin "⁠dusT⁠" Mouret

Interviewer

James "⁠BanKs⁠" Banks

Commentators

Jack "⁠Jacky⁠" Powers
Vince "⁠Vince⁠" Hill
Adam "⁠Dinko⁠" Hawthorne
Jason "⁠moses⁠" O'Toole
Anders "⁠Anders⁠" Blume
Henry "⁠HenryG⁠" Greer
Chad "⁠SPUNJ⁠" Burchill
Alex "⁠Machine⁠" Richardson
Mamoon "⁠TeaTime⁠" Sabri
Michael "⁠YouM3⁠" Cassidy
Lucy "LucyLuce" Eastwood
Brandon "BDog" Rawlings
Neo "Ne0kai" Caine
Kyle "CodyCasts" Mullings

Fantasy

The tournament's Fantasy game is already live and teams can be put together on the event page, here. The game is part of the Fantasy Spring season 2024 and as such will have season points on the line, as well as skin prizes for the top finishers. So far, players from FaZe are the ones to pick according to those having already made teams, as all but Robin "⁠ropz⁠" Kool are currently among the eight most picked.

The skin prizes are:

1. Hydra Gloves | Emerald (Field-Tested)
2. Hydra Gloves | Mangrove (Field-Tested)
3. Driver Gloves | Racing Green (Field-Tested)