Initial pairings for the group stage of the PGL Major Kraków 2017 LAN finals have been released.
With the offline qualifiers concluding last night, deducing the eight Challengers, PGL have drawn the initial pairings for the LAN finals group stage. Sixteen of the world's finest teams will collide on July 21st-23rd, clashing for an astonishing $1,000,000 prize pool, as well as the most prestigious title in CS:GO - Major Champions. The event will be taking place at the Tauron Arena in Kraków, Poland, a venue that is capable of hosting up to 18,000 spectators.
For those curious about the distribution of the prize pool, see below:
Grand total: $1,000,000
1st place - $500,000
2nd place - $150,000
3rd & 4th places - $70,000
5th - 8th places - $35,000
9th - 16th places - $8,750
The group stage of the upcoming Major tournament will see, much like the offline qualifier, best-of-one Swiss format. A total of five rounds will determine the eight teams to make it to the quarter-finals of the tournament. Upon the group stage conclusion, the teams will face off in a single-elimination, best-of-three play-offs bracket, right until the very end of the tournament.
| Legends | Challengers |
|---|---|
 Astralis |  mousesports |
 Virtus.pro |  G2 Esports |
 Fnatic | PENTA Sports |
 SK Gaming |  Cloud9 |
 Natus Vincere |  BIG |
 Gambit Esports |  Vega Squadron |
| North | FlipSid3 Tactics |
| FaZe Clan | Immortals |
Below are the first round group stage pairings:
Astralis vs. Immortals
Virtus.pro vs. Vega Squadron
Fnatic vs. FlipSid3 Tactics
SK Gaming vs. PENTA Sports
Gambit Esports vs. mousesports
Natus Vincere vs. G2 Esports
FaZe Clan vs. BIG
North vs. Cloud9
Image courtesy of PGL
