Thirty-two teams will play the PGL Major Singapore from November 24 to December 13, and the Valve Regional Standings (VRS) on November 2 will settle every invitation, according to HLTV. Europe gets 18 places, the Americas nine and Asia-Pacific five.
Each region ranks its eligible teams on the November 2 cutoff. The top teams skip to Stage 3, the next group starts in Stage 2, and the rest begin in Stage 1. HLTV's structure means only eight of the 32 teams skip to Stage 3, while 16 start in Stage 1. A team's rank near a regional boundary determines its starting stage and the number of series it must win to reach the playoffs.
HLTV lists three changes from the IEM Cologne Major. Europe gains one invitation, rising from 17 to 18. The Americas drop from ten to nine places, but their direct Stage 3 invitations double from one to two. Asia-Pacific keeps five places, but its top-ranked eligible team now enters Stage 2 instead of Stage 3.
North and South American teams compete for the same Americas places in one regional ranking, so results from either part of the continent affect the same list.
The playoffs will be held at the Singapore Indoor Stadium, with a prize pool of $1,250,000. PGL Masters Bucharest, which ends with its grand final on October 31, is the last tier-1 LAN before the cutoff. Its results can change the stage for teams near a regional line. HLTV's invites page also carries a predicted-teams view that will change until the standings freeze.