Finally, one of the biggest CSGO tournaments of the year, PGL Major Antwerp 2022, is about to conclude. There are only two days left until the finals are played, and we can already say that the excitement is at its peak. We are very close to determining the tournament’s champion, first with Challengers, then Legends, and finally with the finals.
PGL Major Antwerp witnessed fierce competition from the first day it started. While some teams experienced disappointments in the tournament stages, some teams managed to achieve victory. In this way, it seems that we have come to the end of the efforts of the players and teams.
First Finalist Qualifier – Team Spirit
And here is Team Spirit, the surprise team of the tournament. Frankly, most Esports fans did not expect such a big success from them. Because it was known that there were statistically many more in-form teams and players. There was also the fact that Spirit had not found success in the CSGO Esports arena for a long time.
It all started for Team Spirit on the Challengers Stage. They qualified for the Legends Stage with three wins in a total of 4 matches. Without a doubt, we can say that their most significant victory in Challengers was their 2:0 match against Astralis. The Legends Stage was like a dream for Team Spirit. They first beat FURIA 16-12, then faced Heroic and beat them 16-12 as well. And then Spirit, which faced CPHF, achieved a score of 2-1 in the 3-match series and managed to get the quarter-final ticket.
With the dates set for May 19, 2022, Spirit entered a historic quarterfinal match for themselves. Opposite them was FURIA, which they defeated on the Legends Stage. Everyone who watched the game live that day thought that FURIA would take revenge. But Team Spirit rocked the CSGO Esports scene. And they pushed FURIA out of the tournament with a clear score of 2-0.
Now the team has advanced to the semi-finals, and their opponent is FaZe Clan. There is only one obstacle left for the grand finale. We will find out whether they will be able to pass the FaZe Clan exam from CSGO’s well-established teams in a few days.
Second Finalist Qualifier – FaZe Clan
The history of CSGO Esports begins with their name and continues with their name. Of course, we are talking about FaZe Clan. Having dominated CSGO tournaments for many years, the team experienced a severe decline after 2018. However, they seem to be ready to appear on the scene again at the beginning of 2022. First, IEM XVI – Katowice and then ESL Pro League Season 15 championship were enough to make this team self-sufficient.
Now, they are preparing for the semi-finals against Team Spirit, the tournament’s surprise team. Let’s take a quick look at what FaZe Clan did during PGL Major Antwerp.
For FaZe, it all started at the PGL Major Antwerp group stage. With their wins against Vitality, Eternal Fire, and Mouz, they qualified directly for the Legends Stage. Then they were ready to face the real strong opponents. After the Legends Stage started, they could beat BNE with 16-4, then C9 with 16-8, and finally CPHF with 2-1. However, they had only one loss in their first match on Legends Stage. It was the match they lost 8-16 against the other semi-finalists, ENCE.
Third Finalist Qualifier – ENCE
Like Team Spirit, ENCE appears as a team that participates in the tournament in challenging ways. They appear as the third-best team in the world on HLTV. And we can say that they got it right because they lost only two times during the whole tournament. The second of these was their 8-16 match against CPHF. However, they managed to avenge this by winning in the quarter-finals.
It all started for ENCE with their consecutive win on the Challengers Stage. They then moved up to the Legends Stage by beating BNE 2-0 without letting their 2-1 loss to G2 demoralize them. Wanting to make a good start on the Legends Stage, the team defeated FaZe with a clear score of 16-8. The CPHF defeat followed, and then the Heroic and Outsiders wins allowed them to qualify for the quarterfinals.
Finally, they faced CPHF, which they had previously lost, in order to reach the semi-finals. The match, organized as Bo3, ended with a 2-0 ENCE win. Now, ENCE is preparing for a big test in front of NaVi. The obstacle is tough, and the team against them is as focused on the grand final as they are.
Fourth Finalist Qualifier – NaVi
As you know, NaVi has written its name in history as the legendary team of recent years. They have managed to dominate the CSGO Esports scene for the last two years. Led by legends like S1mple and electroNic, NaVi is again looking to qualify for the PGL Major finals.
They lost just two matches at the PGL Major Antwerp with that goal. Moreover, both took place against the same team. Of course, we’re talking about Heroic. NaVi completed the PGL Major Antwerp group stage with four wins and joined the Legends Stage directly. Then, they continued to progress with confident steps by winning three consecutive wins in the Legends Stage adventure.
Moreover, they achieved this by beating tough competitors such as NIP, G2, and BIG. NaVi, along with Team Spirit, are one of only two teams to pass the Legends Stage undefeated. Competing in the quarterfinals due to its high success, NaVi is now against Heroic. Despite losing the first map to Heroic due to mistakes made, they managed to win the second map 16-10. The third match was the scene of an incredible struggle.
However, NaVi players, who managed to play cool in the end, achieved a clear 16-8 win. ElectroNic’s and s1mple’s fantastic gameplay and tactics were more than remarkable on the third map.
Now they face a tough opponent, ENCE. But NaVi players are confident and want to do what they’ve done before. NaVi is very close to being the PGL Major Antwerp 2022 champion for the second time. However, there are the last two obstacles in front of them. Let’s see if they can overcome these obstacles!