G2 and Astralis to miss IEM Rio CSGO Major after RMR upsets

Declan Mclaughlin
NiKo setting up PC at PGL Major stockholm CSGO

G2 Esports and Astralis will both miss the Rio CSGO Major after upsets against GamersLegion and forZe respectfully. This is both teams’ first time missing a Major in over five years.

In the RMR Road to Rio 2022 Europe tournament, both Astralis and G2 Esports lost in their respective lower matches and have been knocked out of Major qualification on October 7.

G2 lost their matches against Cloud9 and then 1win before losing their first series against GamersLegion which knocked them out of CSGO Major qualification. Astralis were defeated by Ninjas in Pyjamas and Bad New Eagles during the best-of-one portion of the event before their series loss to the Russian team.

Both organizations are staples at CSGO Majors with G2 Esports qualifying for every Major since 2015, a streak of 11 events. This will be Astralis’ first time missing a CSGO Major since its inception in 2016.

The Danish organization is the winningest Major team in the esport, claiming four titles in the past six years.

G2 and Astralis will not be at IEM Rio CSGO Major

G2 Esports’ last Major appearance was at the PGL Major Antwerp 2022 where they placed in the top 11. The team has enjoyed decent showings this year, with a second-place finish at IEM Katowice as their highest placing of the year so far.

Astralis have not had the best year in comparison. At the Antwerp Major, the Danish team placed in the top 20.

Their best showing this year was at IEM Cologne where they placed in the top four after a 2-0 loss to NAVI. The organization saw some reshuffling to start the year with a few roster moves as well.

The RMR Road to Rio is still ongoing as FaZe Clan, NIP and Sprout have already qualified for the Legends Stage. There are only three spots left for teams in the qualifier to make the CSGO Major.