The management board of the Liquid team decided to withdraw from PGL Cluj-Napoca with a total prize of 1,250,000 dollars. This decision was officially confirmed by the team coach Mithr in a podcast with Spunj on ESL channel. This decision can seriously affect the opportunity to participate in their future major tournaments, including Blast Open Spring 2025 and Blast.tv Austin Major 2025.

The possible consequences for Liquid

PGL Cluj-Napoca is one of the main tournaments considered when distributing the invitation to participate in major tournaments. Besides, events like Iem Katowice, ESL Pro League Season 21 and Blast Open Lisbon are also very important. Liquid had difficulties at Iem Katowice, dropped to the lower branch, where they had to fight to win a place to attend the tournament. Not attending PGL Cluj-Napoca can make the team fall into a weak position in the Valve rankings and make them lose the opportunity to receive an invitation directly to Blast Open Lisbon.

Challenge of ranking and competition

Currently, Liquid is ranked 10 on the Valve and First Class rankings in North America. However, the situation may change quickly. Their nearest competitors in the region-Furia, Pain, Mibr and other teams-are actively participating in tournaments, including PGL Cluj-Napoca. If Liquid dropped to the fifth position on the US rankings, they would have to go through large qualifiers. In addition, to participate in Blast Open Lisbon, they need to be in the top 12 of the world rankings, this can become impossible if the team does not improve their achievements.

Comments of coach Mithr

Liquid's Mithr coach commented on the decision to ignore PGL Cluj-Napoca of the Team:

"I know that I am not the decision. We discuss the tournaments we want to attend. But yes, this is one of the moments we are informed about the tournaments We will attend and I think it is reasonable. This match or the other tournament does not make much difference.

It was not that I was completely excluded from such discussions, but in the end, I was here to train the team and decided to attend which tournament was given by others, and I was completely okay. with that. " - Mithr

It is important for Liquid to be successful at Iem Katowice and ESL Pro League. If not, they are at risk of losing invitations directly to the big tournament, complicating the path to their major tournaments. While they retain the leading position in the region, the competition in North America is increasing and any delay can pay expensive. Ignoring PGL Cluj-Napoca is becoming a serious challenge for the team.