On April 2nd, ESL announced the first iteration of Road to Rio in accordance with Valve. This system would see 56 teams across six regions compete for 24 slots into ESL One Rio, which was postponed to now take place through mid-November. This alteration represented a significant shift in the Major qualification system; primarily because returning Legends and Challengers would have to “demonstrate they are still in top form” and essentially qualify again for the Rio Major.
Event organizer ESL has provided updates for its Major qualification system, ESL One: Road to Rio. (Photo courtesy ESL)
Wednesday, however, ESL revealed a complete set of details surrounding the Road to Rio. The release first outlined the exact dates for regional competitions:
Europe: 22nd April – 17th May
North America: 22nd April – 10th May
CIS: 30th April – 17th May
South America: 22nd April – 26th April
Asia: 6th May – 10th May
Oceania: 6th May – 10th May
Additionally, a Challenger slot at ESL One Rio has been switched from North America to Europe. This was a necessary change after c0ntact, who placed within the top 14 teams at the StarLadder Berlin Major, had switched their region from North America to Europe. All other regions are unaffected by this change, and the final list of Major slot distribution is as follows:
Europe: 3 Legends, 6 Challenger, 2 Contenders
North America: 3 Legends, 1 Challenger, 1 Contender
CIS: 2 Legends, 1 Challenger, 2 Contenders
South America: 1 Contender
Oceania: 1 Contender
Asia: 1 Contender
ESL has also detailed the full list of teams competing in the Road to Rio qualifiers, with the exception of those teams at the same ranking from the Minor Closed Qualifiers, who will have to play a tiebreaker game.
Europe
Dates: April 22-May 17
Prize Pool: $115,000
| Astralis | Ence | Vitality | Mousesports |
| Fnatic | North | FaZe Clan | G2 |
| Complexity | Heretics | Ninjas in Pyjamas | Movistar Riders |
| GODSENT | Dignitas | c0ntact | Copenhagen Flames |
North America
Dates: April 22-May 10
Prize Pool: $60,000
| Evil Geniuses | Team Liquid | 100 Thieves | MIBR |
| Gen.G | Bad News Bears | MIBR | FURIA |
| Cloud9 | Envy | Orgless | Yeah |
CIS
Dates: April 30-May 17
Prize Pool: $50,000
| Virtus.pro | Na’Vi | Winstrike | Gambit Youngsters |
| Syman | Spirit | Espada | Hard Legion |
| Unique | forZe | Tiebreaker Match | Tiebreaker Match |
South America
Dates: April 22-26
Prize Pool: $10,000
| RED Canids | BOOM |
| Isurus | TeamOne |
Oceania
Dates: May 6-10
Prize Pool: $10,000
| Renegades | ORDER |
| Chiefs | Ground Zero |
Asia
Dates: May 6-10
Prize Pool: $10,000
| TYLOO | ViCi Gaming | Mazaalai | TIGER |
| Lucid Dream | Camel Riders | Tiebreaker Match | Tiebreaker Match |
ESL One Rio will take to the Jeunesse Arena in Brazil from November 19th-22nd during the Champions Stage. Since ESL One will be the only Major of 2020, its prize pool was increased to $2 million – the largest cash purse in the history of Counter-Strike.
