Two Brazilian squads, GODSENT and Sharks Esports, became the first to be eliminated from the 2021 PGL Major Stockholm. They were sent home after picking up three consecutive losses in the Swiss-style Challenger’s stage bracket. Both teams went 0-2 in Day 1 of the competition. Their Day 2 featured a best-of-three match, with GODSENT up against Astralis and Sharks against fellow Brazilians paiN Gaming.
Sharks qualified for the PGL Major as the representatives from South America. To do so, they beat out MIBR and Bravos Gaming in regional major rankings points. Their first day of the PGL Major saw them matched up against MOUZ (6-16) and TYLOO (14-16). On Day 2, they played paiN Gaming in a best-of-three that ended up going for 97 rounds, before the two teams could be definitively separated. Although Vertigo and Ancient were close affairs, Sharks were outclassed on Map 3, Nuke, where they lost 16-4.
GODSENT Gaming, a team led by the veteran Epitácio “TACO” de Melo, qualified with Contender status in the North America region. They beat Team Liquid in the IEM Fall semifinals to place second at the event and secure their spot at the event. In the Challenger stage, GODSENT lost to ENCE (10-16) and Team Spirit (12-16) on Day 1. They were placed against a down-on-their-luck Astralis for the best-of-three decider match. Astralis beat GODSENT handily in two maps, sending the Brazilians out of the tournament. The match was a sigh of relief for the Danes, the returning major champions who still have a difficult road ahead of them if they want to stay at the event.
It was a tough day for Brazilian fans, who saw three of the four Brazilian teams on the verge of elimination. With GODSENT and Sharks gone, fans of the region can place their faith in paiN Gaming, who are still fighting for their tournament life in best-of-threes, or FURIA, who are waiting for the Legends stage to begin on Oct. 30.
