RLCS Fall Major 2022: Qualified teams, schedule, format and more

It’s a great time of year if you’re a fan of goals. Not only is the FIFA World Cup ongoing, but the Rocket League Championship Series Fall Major will take place Dec. 8-11 in Rotterdam, Netherlands. It’s the first Major of the RLCS 2022-23 season, and 16 of the best Rocket League teams in the world will compete. The 16 teams hail from the following regions:

• North America (NA) -- 5 teams
• Europe (EU) -- 5 teams
• South America (SAM) -- 2 teams
• Oceania (OCE) -- 2 teams
• Middle East and North Africa (MENA) -- 1 team
• Asia Pacific (APAC) -- 1 team

To get you ready for the RLCS 2022 Fall Major, here’s a primer on the qualified teams, schedule and format and an analysis of the best teams.

Sign up for the next Nerd Street tournament!

Qualified teams

• Gen.G (NA)
• FaZe Clan (NA)
• Version1 (NA)
• Spacestation Gaming (NA)
• G2 Esports (NA)
• Karmine Corp (EU)
• Team Liquid (EU)
• Oxygen Esports (EU)
• Quadrant (EU)
• Moist Esports (EU)
• Pioneers (OCE)
• PWR (OCE)
• The Club (SAM)
• Team Secret (SAM)
• Team Falcons (MENA)
• James Cheese (APAC)

Schedule and format

The 16-team tournament kicks off on Dec. 8 with a Swiss stage with these eight initial matchups:

• Karmine Corp vs. James Cheese
• Gen.G vs. PWR
• FaZe Clan vs. Moist Esports
• The Club vs. Pioneers
• Team Liquid vs. Team Secret
• Version1 vs. Quadrant
• Oxygen Esports vs. G2 Esports
• Spacestation Gaming vs. Team Falcons

Teams need to win three matches to advance to an eight-team single elimination bracket. Teams that lose three matches are eliminated. A crowd will be in attendance for the last two days of the tournament (Dec. 10-11).

Favorites: Karmine Corp, Gen.G, Falcons

ApparentlyJack crossed the pond this season helping Gen.G become the best NA team this fall. Photo credit: Psyonix

After finishing 5th-8th at the RLCS 2022 World Championship, Karmine Corp have emerged as perhaps the best team in the world this fall. The team added Axel "vatira" Touret, who was a critical part of one of the best teams in the world last season, Moist Esports. As winners of one regional and finalists at all three regionals in Europe -- arguably the strongest region in the world -- this team is undoubtedly a favorite heading into the Major.

Read more: RLCS Fall Major 2022: All qualified teams

North America is right there with Europe as one of the two strongest regions in the world, so of course, Gen.G has to be a co-favorite. Like Karmine Corp, they reached the final of all three regionals and won one.

Team Falcons were the breakout team of the 2021-22 season. Despite coming from outside NA or EU, the MENA representatives were finalists at the Spring Major. They stumbled to place only 9th-12th at the world championship, but with plenty of international LAN experience, this team has Major-winning potential.

Contenders: Team Liquid, Oxygen Esports, FaZe Clan, Version1

Team Liquid are looking to build on their success from last season. Photo credit: Psyonix

The No. 2 and No. 3 seeds from both Europe and North America all definitely have the potential to emerge victorious in Rotterdam. Each of these teams won one regional this fall and were almost always playoff teams. FaZe and V1 made the playoffs at all three regionals, and TL and Oxygen each missed the playoffs once.

Read more: The top 10 esports orgs in the world in 2022

Both North American teams were competitive internationally last season with rosters that are mostly the same -- only FaZe made one change. Neither team made an international final, but FaZe had multiple top four finishes and V1 had one top four finish.

The European teams have less of a track record last season, but Team Liquid finished top eight at their only international event, the Spring Major. With no roster changes in the offseason, they’re betting on the growth of their young roster and come into the Major off the high of winning the last EU regional. Oxygen has a completely new roster this fall with a mixture of experienced players from some of the best EU teams last season.

Dark horses: Moist Esports, G2 Esports, The Club

G2 were one of the best teams last season. Photo credit: Psyonix

Besides the 2022 world champs Team BDS, Moist Esports and G2 Esports were two of the best teams during the 2021-22 RLCS season. They each won a Major and lost an international final. They each snuck into the Fall Major as the fifth seed from their region, so they’re definitely not among the favorites heading into the Major but can’t be counted out. G2 didn’t make any changes in the offseason, so their experience can carry them to victory. Moist only made one offseason change, so if they can recapture some of the lower bracket magic they had last season, they can certainly make a run.

Read more: G2 bring home huge title on home soil at RLCS Winter Major

The Club are a dark horse because they absolutely dominated the competition in South America this fall. They won all three regionals and dropped only two matches all split. Last season, FURIA emerged as not only the best team in South America but one of the best teams in the world. With FURIA now competing in NA, perhaps The Club will follow in their footsteps and make a name for themselves on the international stage.

Lead photo credit: Psyonix