The RLCS Winter Major 2022-23 is the second big tournament of the current Rocket League eSports season. In this article, we'll go over the most important dates, the schedule, the brand-new format and where to watch the action live.
The new season of the Rocket League Championship Series (RLCS) has been running for a few months now, and it's been quite an exciting time in the Battle Arena so far. Gen.G Mobil1 Racing are reigning champions since their triumph at the 2022-23 Fall Major... can they defend their title at the upcoming Winter Major?
In this article we provide you with all the important information about the Winter Major itself and the events prior. What is the schedule for the coming weeks and months? What is changing in the format? And where/when can you follow the events via livestream? Easy!
RLCS Winter Major 2023: Important Facts & Figures
Leading up to the RLCS World Championship in August, the Winter Major is the second major tournament of the year. It's sort of midway through the season – between the fall and the spring major. The huge event will take place between April 6 and April 9, 2023, and will be held during the Dreamhack in San Diego.
As always, you can follow the tournament either from home or live on site – tickets from April 7 onwards are already being sold online. The first day of the Winter Major is taking place without spectators.
As usual, 16 teams from all over the world will compete for the title of Winter Major Champion. But first they have to qualify...
How Esports Teams Can Qualify For The Winter Major
To be eligible to compete at the 2023 Winter Major, Rocket League teams must already be performing well and earning points beforehand. The better a team finishes in the Open, Cup and Invitational, the more points can be earned. The 16 teams with the most points will go on to the grand finale and battle it out at the Winter Major in San Diego.
Winter Split Schedule – Open, Cup, Invitational
So... what are Open, Cup and Invitational anyway? Well, each RLCS split is made up of a total of four tournaments. In the first three events, the teams – as just explained – have to collect points, otherwise they are not allowed to compete in the Major. The dates for the Winter Split are as follows:
| Winter Open | Winter Cup | Winter Invitational | Winter Major |
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| 06.-09. Apr. |
Karmine Corp Win EU Winter Open
The first event of this year's Winter Split took place and the winners are none other than Karmine Corp – what a surprise! The team consisting of Amine "itachi" Benayachi, Axel "vatira." Touret and Brice "ExoTiiK" Bigeard has been on top of the European Rankings even before the event and just extended their lead. We have to admit that their current form is pretty impressive, and they're clearly one of the favorites for the RLCS World Championship later this year.
Now that the #RLCS European Winter Open is behind us, take a glance at how the points stand for the Winter Split and for Europe overall pic.twitter.com/BkmoIpY5jY
— Rocket League Esports (@RLEsports) January 29, 2023
Brand-New Format Changes Competition
A new phase of the Rocket League Championship Series also means a new set of rules. While in the Fall Split each event still had its own format, there will be only one way Rocket League gets played up until the Winter Major.
Each tournament will start with a group stage, in which the 16 teams will be divided evenly into four groups. Every (!) game is played in best-of-5 mode, the three best teams in each group qualify for a Single Elimination Bracket. Only from the quarter-finals it will be extended to BO7.
They decided to simplify the way teams can earn points during the RLCS 2022-23 season, so now it's awesome to see that they try to make the format more understandable as well. Nice job!
Rocket League Esports Live-Streams
There are several ways to follow the Winter Split and all of its prior tournaments. If you didn't get a ticket and can't make your way to San Diego, you still have your couch and TV. Just make yourself comfy, open one of the Live-Streams and relax a bit. As always, the tournaments for Europe and North America will be broadcast on the following channels:
Now you know all the important information about the Winter Split and especially about the Major. It will be exciting to see who will be crowned champion next after Gen.G. Which team is your favorite? Which RLCS Decals are you wearing in the Rocket League arena right now?