BIG are the second European CS:GO squad to secure a spot in the PGL Antwerp Major, the first Valve-sponsored event of the year. The No. 1 team in Germany swept FaZe Clan, the best team in the world, today at the Europe Regional Major Ranking (RMR) A.
No one on the analysis desk predicted that BIG would play as well as they did today. FaZe arrived in the Major qualifier hyped after their ESL Pro League season 15 win and have been playing top-notch Counter-Strike, while the Germans had mixed results over the past months.
The series kicked off on Dust II, which was BIG’s map pick. The first half was well contested and ended 9-6 in favor of BIG, but that soon ended as the Germans had a nearly flawless CT side (7-1) to take the map 16-7 thanks to an impressive performance from the rookie Karim “Krimbo” Moussa. Mirage was next and the match was way tougher for BIG. It could very well have gone FaZe’s way, but the German captain Johannes “tabseN” Wodarz made the difference, having finished the game with a 30-19 K/D to help BIG beat FaZe 16-14 and qualify for the Major.
This victory over FaZe also gave BIG Legends status at PGL Antwerp Major, meaning they will enter the competition in its second stage. It’s an easier path to the playoffs, considering the Legends teams have to play fewer games to make it into the top eight.
While BIG are done at the Europe RMR A, FaZe will attempt to qualify for the Major once again tomorrow against MOUZ at the 2-1 pool of the Swiss system stage. They’ll play each other at 11:30am CT.
