Expect the unexpected: preview to the Opening Stage of PGL Major Copenhagen 2024
On March 17th, in Copenhagen, Denmark, the highly anticipated PGL Major Copenhagen 2024 for Counter-Strike 2 will begin. The world's best teams will compete for the chance to inscribe their name in history as the winners of the first CS2 major, as well as for $1.25 million.
For the first time in a long time, the opinions of fans and experts diverge, and there’s no clear favorite for the competition. In this article, Bo3.gg will discuss the teams that have the best chance of overcoming the Opening Stage.
Favorites
Heroic
It would seem that a complete roster overhaul would have set Heroic back two, or even three steps. However, after taking a few knocks at the start of the year, the team is proving everyone wrong. The new coach and players have quickly created synergy among themselves, and the results immediately improved. Heroic can still not be called the main favorite of the upcoming major, but the fact that it should pass through to the Elimination Stage without any major problems is a fact.
FURIA Esports
FURIA Esports is one of the strongest teams in the Americas region. Despite mediocre online results, they are a completely different team on LAN. Moreover, the team recently became champions of Elisa Masters Espoo 2023, where the opponents were precisely of the first stage major level. FURIA should easily overcome the Opening Stage and put up a fight against opponents for a playoff spot.
Cloud9
Concluding the list of stage favorites, let's move on to analyzing Cloud9. For the team, the upcoming event seems key in determining the future direction of development. Over the last three months, the team has only won 57.9% of official matches. The absence of a dedicated sniper means that C9 regularly loses to teams not in the top 20 of the world.
The likelihood of changes in the roster is extremely high, especially if the team cannot qualify for the Elimination Stage. Honestly, even if they manage to do so, it's hard to imagine C9 among the major's playoff participants. In its current variation, C9 is far from the "superteam" status many talked about in the summer of 2023.
They must reach the Elimination Stage
ENCE
ENCE first lost their long-time captain and then their star players. After that, it seemed there was no way out. However, the management decided to bet on a downed pilot in the form of gla1ve and his incredible experience. By acquiring a trio from 9INE, they formed a Polish roster led by a Dane. At their first major tournament, IEM Katowice 2024, ENCE reached the playoffs by defeating the world's best teams along the way. Initially, believing in their success was unreal, and now, not reaching the Elimination Stage would be considered a failure.
Eternal Fire
Currently, Eternal Fire has perhaps the best Turkish roster in history. 28-year-old XANTARES is experiencing a second esports youth, repeatedly destroying opponents on the server. It's hard to believe in the prolonged and stable success of this team, but now is the time to tear and throw. At PGL Major Copenhagen 2024, the team is capable of challenging everyone and is obliged to advance to the Elimination Stage.
Dark Horse
SAW
SAW is on the rise, as evidenced by the team's successful qualification for BLAST Premier: Spring Final 2024. The Opening Stage has a very convenient list of teams for the Portuguese. SAW has not lost to such opponents in bo3 matches since December 2023. If they can maintain this positive effect, they are quite capable of qualifying for the Elimination Stage. However, at the next stage, the team will hardly have any chance, as the best of the best will gather there.
The PGL Major Copenhagen 2024 matches will take place from March 17 to March 31 in Copenhagen, Denmark. 24 teams will compete for a prize pool of $1.25 million. You can find out more about the tournament participants and follow the interim results of the event through the link.
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