MPGR and PGRU suspended due to Coronavirus concerns

PGstats have announced that the Panda Global Rankings and Tournament Tier System are now officially frozen. This development is as a result of rising concerns regarding the spread of the Coronavirus COVID-19.

The decision was made following discussions between PGstats and several tournament organizers. They also took into consideration community feedback and the United State’s travel ban on foreigners that have recently been in the European Schengen Area within 14-days of their desired entry. With its decision, PGstats hopes to protect the health of fans, players and tournament staff the world over. 

This development means that the MPGR and PGRU rankings for 2020 may not feature two seasonal rankings but a single one at the end of the year instead. This news deals a massive blow to the Smash competitive season, especially since this is the inaugural year of Smash World Tour. Effective from March 11, no player rankings will make the PGR for the first half of the year.

While many events are still going forward, for the time being, the number of those canceled and postponed has grown at an accelerating rate. EVO 2020 takes place from July 31 to August 2, which is the second half of the year, but if the situation hasn’t improved by then, even that prestigious event will either be postponed, canceled or removed from this year’s PGR.