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The race to the Shanghai Major is well and truly on, and the best and brightest of Counter-Strike are about to step up to the plate to battle for their chance to win the most important CS2 event of the year.
Which teams and players are the favorites to make it through, and how can you follow the event and the most important Counter-Strike storylines? We've got you everything you need to get the most out of your experience following the Major, from the schedule and the betting odds to the teams and the players and everything else an esports fan would ever need to know about the competition.
The Perfect World Shanghai CS2 Major will take place between November 30 to December 15, comprising of three stages. It features 24 of the best Counter-Strike teams and a prize pool of $1.25 million.
The Opening Stage is the first of the two Swiss Stages in the event, and it will run between November 30 and December 3. The initial matches are best-of-one, but all elimination and advancement series are best-of-three. Teams with a 3-2 record or better – meaning the top eight – will advance to the next stage.
The Elimination Stage is the second Swiss Stage of the CS2 Major, pitting the eight top-seeded teams against the eight that have qualified from the Opening Stage for a chance to make it to the playoffs. It is set to take place between December 5 and 8. Its format is otherwise identical to the Opening Stage: the initial matches are best-of-one, but all elimination and advancement series are best-of-three.
The Playoff Stage is a single-elimination knockout bracket with best-of-three matches throughout, and the quarterfinal matchups are seeded according to the previous Swiss Stage performances. It is the ultimate portion of the Major, and it will take place between December 12 and 15.
The Swiss stages will take place in the Shanghai World Expo Exhibition & Convention Center, and the Playoffs Stage will be played in the Shanghai Oriental Sports Center.
This will be the final Counter-Strike Major using this format, as the competition is set to expand to 32 teams (with an extra Swiss Stage added) by the time the BLAST Austin Major rolls around in 2025.
As confirmed by Valve and Perfect World, the opening matchups for the first Swiss stage of the Major are as follows, based on the seeding:
The Major will run on China Standard Time (GMT+8), so be sure to plan accordingly if you want to follow the games live. The opening matches are scheduled for 11am local time. You can check out the odds for the upcoming CS2 Major matches on Bitsler's dedicated Shanghai Counter-Strike Major page.
While the Major does take place in China, PGL has partnered with Perfect World to provide the official English broadcast, which will be in part produced from their Bucharest studio and in part by some talent flown in to Shanghai. The event will be streamed on PGL's Twitch and YouTube channels, with the secondary matches on PGL_CS2. Co-streams, long popular in esports, are also available for the event. You can also keep track of the results and the odds on Bitsler's dedicated event page.
These teams were seeded directly into the second Swiss round based on their prior position in Valve's regional rankings – meaning it wasn't their results in the RMR but their overall accomplishments that determined who got the big fat bye, which has been a serious source of controversy for the event as Valve had to issue a clarification midway through the Regional Major Ranking events.
(b1t, Aleksib, jL, iM, w0nderful)
Qualified with a 3-1 record from EU RMR A
#1 in HLTV rankings
As the title holders and the dominant team in the circuit, NAVI always had an excellent chance of qualification, and they should be one of the favorites for the Major unless the visible signs of fatigue continue to hold them back.
(huNter-, NiKo, m0NESY, malbsMd, Snax)
Qualified with a 3-1 record from EU RMR B
#2 in HLTV rankings
One of the strongest international squads around, G2 continues to punch below their weight despite having NiKo and m0NESY on the books. Rumors suggest this is all about to change after the Major, and this "last dance" in Shanghai may galvanize the squad that is capable of incredibly great heights but also pitiful lows. They are heading into the event in good form, having won the BLAST Premier World Final, and a 3-1 record in the RMR, which included a shock loss to 3DMAX.
(apEX, ZywOo, Spix, flameZ, mezii)
Qualified with a 3-0 record from EU RMR A
#3 in HLTV rankings
While rumors suggest that Vitality are bound for a post-Major roster shuffle no matter how this event goes, the BLAST Paris Major winners are still a force to be reckoned with, and they proved the point with a flawless run in the RMR.
(chopper, magixx, zont1x, donk, sh1ro)
Qualified with a 3-2 record from EU RMR A
#4 in HLTV rankings
Team Spirit, and most notably, donk, have been the sensation of the first half of 2024 in the Counter-Strike circles, but they have been found out somewhat since. Still, Major qualification was the bare minimum objective for a team that made it to the playoffs last time around, and narrowly squeaking through in seventh place is not a good sign of things to come.
(torzsi, xertioN, siuhy, Jimpphat, Brollan)
Qualified with a 3-0 record from EU RMR A
#5 in HLTV rankings
The young international squad keeps going from strength to strength, and while they are often struggling at the business end of tournaments, this is exactly the sort of environment they thrive in, as they proved with a flawless run that included an impressive victory over title holders NAVI to seal their 3-0 record.
(rain, broky, ropz, karrigan, frozen)
Qualified with a 3-1 record from EU RMR A
#6 in HLTV rankings
The struggles of FaZe are one of the biggest enigmas in modern CS, as the previously all-conquering team still has all five individual players mostly performing well enough to continue taking down titles, but it just isn't coming together for them the way it used to. The RMR was an easy task, but we've seen them fail early on at Majors before. Remember Rio?
(TeSeS, sjuush, NertZ, kyxsan, degster)
Qualified with a 3-1 record from EU RMR B
#7 in HLTV rankings
After getting their two star riflers poached by Astralis – who have now missed out on their fourth consecutive Major despite their deep pockets and underhanded transfer tactics –HEROIC continue to impress on the Moneyball front, constructing an interesting international roster with great potential. The renaissance of degster has been extremely impressive, and one of the key parts of the run that saw them clinch Major qualification.
(Lucky, Djoko, Ex3rcice, Maka, Graviti)
Qualified with a 3-0 record from EU RMR B
#16 in HLTV rankings
The French squad has been quietly grinding away at lower-tier events over the year, and they were rewarded with a strong enough finish on Valve's leaderboards to qualify here. While they do keep scoring impressive wins against lower-ranked teams, their occasional S-Tier appearances in third-party events left a lot to be desired, making their 3-0 run one of the most impressive upsets of the year. While TSM and Eternal Fire were not unlike the teams they'd regularly go up against in those aforementioned lower-tier events, their 2-1 win over G2 was truly impressive stuff.
These sixteen teams had worse seedings than the top eight and will have to battle it out in the Opening Stage for a chance to join them in the Elimination Stage.
(FalleN, chelo, yuurih, KSCERATO, skullz)
Qualified with a 3-2 record from Americas RMR
#8 in HLTV rankings
The struggles continue for Brazil's premiere team, who have been dark horses for so long under the stewardship of arT but could never recreate the glory days after the pandemic. Now helmed by an aging FalleN, the only bright star of this squad is the loyal and lethal KSCERATO, but he can only carry a struggling roster so far, as evidenced by their rough RMR run.
(electroNic, FL1T, Jame, n0rb3r76, fame)
Qualified with a 3-1 record from EU RMR B
#12 in HLTV rankings
VP's many travails have been masked somewhat by their seeding in the RMR, where they beat out TSM, 9Pandas, and Sashi Esport to qualify with a strong record. However, the team's cohesion is still near an all-time low, as is electroNic's individual showings, so it wouldn't even be that big of a surprise if we saw an early elimination from the former CIS powerhouse.
(jks, NAF, Twistzz, YEKINDAR, ultimate)
Qualified with a 3-1 record from Americas RMR
#13 in HLTV rankings
Liquid keep churning their way through an identity crisis, and without a doubt, the longest-lasting damage of their European roster adventures is the presence of YEKINDAR, whose performances have fallen off a cliff since he joined the squad. A lot has changed around him – including the impressive arrival of ultimate – but he continues to drag down the team, and while the roster rules likely played a part in his stay of execution, it would be a shock to see Liquid do well at this Major with him still around on the server.
(EliGE, JT, floppy, hallzerk, Grim)
Qualified with a 3-1 record from Americas RMR
#14 in HLTV rankings
One of the surprise packages of the early CS2 era, this Complexity squad shows that old dogs can learn new tricks. EliGE has been a revelation since his departure from Liquid, and the JT-floppy duo continues to be a serviceable one on the fringes of tier-one play. Clearly, the AWP is the weak point in this squad, but if hallzerk can lock in, Complexity can be a surprise package in Shanghai.
(tabseN, syrsoN, rigoN, JDC, Krimbo)
Qualified with a 3-0 record from EU RMR B
#18 in HLTV rankings
BIG have been struggling mightily in trying to find the right formula ever since gob b's retirement, and while tabseN's magic can always lead to something incredible, there's a reason why they had to get in through a closed qualifier rather than a direct invite based on results elsewhere. Still, a 3-0 record at the RMR is nothing to sneeze at, but it would still be a surprise to see them replicate it on an even bigger stage.
(KRIMZ, body, nawwk, blameF, MATYS)
Qualified with a 3-2 record from EU RMR A
#29 in HLTV rankings
Despite the legendary history, Fnatic have not been able to put together a competitive squad for a long while now, and their latest international adventure offered little hope for fans either. And yet, some luck of the seeding has granted them access to the promised land with a 3-2 record and a favorable Buchholz score, but they are still not expected to survive the Opening Stage of the Major this time around.
(bLitz, Techno, Senzu, mzinho, 910)
Qualified via the APAC RMR
#11 in HLTV rankings
Helmed by a bona fide chess master in the form of bLitz, The MongolZ remains one of the very few APAC teams with the pedigree and the playbook that can match the Counter-Strike elite, and they are resilient enough to cause some real damage at the Major.
(biguzera, nqz, kauez, snow, lux)
Qualified with a 3-1 record from the Americas RMR
#17 in HLTV rankings
Having impressed at the PGL Copenhagen Major, paiN is back with a near-identical core to challenge again on the greatest Counter-Strike stage. With a successful Opening Stage run and a 2-3 record in the Elimination Stage, they will not be underestimated by anyone this time around.
(ztr, Tauson, volt, sl3nd, FL4MUS)
Qualified with a 3-2 record from EU RMR A
#22 in HLTV rankings
Enterprising bettors with a cursory interest in CS esports could have been forgiven for overestimating the impact of the org's legendary run at the BLAST Paris Major, for the roster is very different now. They were unlikely to qualify for this Major, but the most important part of the puzzle remained in place: coach Ashley 'ash' Battye is one of the most impressive minds in the game, and he brought another unexpected squad to the biggest stage of Counter-Strike, a journey culminating in a hard-fought battle in the seventh-place decider.
(exit, Lucaozy, saffee, drop, insani)
Qualified with a 3-0 record from the Americas RMR
#19 in HLTV rankings
Of all the matches in MIBR's blistering RMR run, it was the 2-0 win over Complexity that truly turned heads, and much like paiN at Copenhagen, they could be one of the surprise packages of the Shanghai Major.
(Boombl4, interz, Ax1le, HeavyGod, ICY)
Qualified with a 3-1 record from EU RMR A
#35 in HLTV rankings
How the mighty have fallen. The struggles of Cloud9 show just how difficult it is to figure out CS esports. They seem to be doing all the right things lately, picking up superteam-quality CIS cores and ruthlessly swapping out problematic parts, and yet it just never seems to click. This newest iteration, helmed by a bona fide Major-winning IGL in the form of Boombl4, and featuring some of the most exciting young talent out there in the form of HeavyGod and ICY, still only scraped by with some shaky showings and a 3-1 record. Still, the pedigree remains, and their low HLTV ranking is merely a mirage.
(dexter, Liazz, aliStair, INS, Vexite)
Qualified via the APAC RMR
#20 in HLTV rankings
Ignore the quirks of the HLTV rankings: this FlyQuest squad is one of those Aussie rosters that oh-so-pluckily kept on qualifying for Majors and then proceeded to do the square root of nothing once they got there. It would be a shock to see this lot do any better than their non-Renegades predecessors. The individual quality just isn't there.
(fear, jambo, s-chilla, jackasmmo, zeRRoFIX)
Qualified with a 3-2 record from EU RMR B
#28 in HLTV rankings
Truly the dark horses of the European RMRs, those savvy enough to have closely followed the tier 2 tournament circuit would have known that this squad is full of monstrous grinders with incredible resilience, and they proved that point spectacularly during their run. 3-2 record notwithstanding, they had to beat out VP, Spirit, and Astralis to make it to the Major, and with kane behind their back in the coaching role, there's even that important bit of veterancy in the mix to make them a genuinely exciting prospect in Shanghai.
(stanislaw, Sonic, phzy, susp, JBa)
Qualified with a 3-0 record from the Americas RMR
#24 in HLTV rankings
A shocking 3-0 run at the RMR could be the foundation for something great for stanislaw, who was always inconsistent in leadership roles in the past but seemed to have found his place on this Wildcard squad.
(Summer, somebody, kaze, ChildKing, L1haNg)
Qualified via the APAC RMR
#58 in HLTV rankings
Not much is expected of Rare Atom at the Major, since they are among those APAC teams that have very little exposure to international Counter-Strike trends. However, don't underestimate the impact of playing on home soil, especially when time zone differences and accommodations can be quite significant for many of their potential opponents.
(felps, VINI, try, decenty, noway)
Qualified with a 3-2 record from the Americas RMR
#26 in HLTV rankings
While felps and VINI do provide some veterancy and pedigree for the Imperial squad, their losses to MIBR and paiN in rounds two and three of the RMR make for a good insight as to how they stack up with their domestic opposition – and so they could be in trouble against European enemies.
The second CS2 Major features a qualification system that is nearly identical to what we have seen in Copenhagen, but this is the final time the tournament will feature dedicated qualifiers known as the Regional Major Ranking events and the 24-team format we've grown to know and love.
The RMRs are divided into three regions – Europe, America, and Asia-Pacific – with each offering a set number of qualification spots based on the teams' past performances. This, in turn, also affects how many teams get to qualify for a region's RMR event in the first place. The Major itself will take place between November 30 and December 15 – but first, it was the small matter of qualification via the Regional Major Ranking events, which broke viewership records and generated great excitement.
Here's how it all works, with the results included for your convenience:
Schedule: November 11-13
Format: Double-elimination bracket. Opening matches are best-of-one, all others are best-of-three. Three qualification spots are available for the Opening Stage of the Major.
Participants and qualification paths:
Schedule: November 12-15
Format: 16-team, five-round Swiss System bracket. Elimination and qualification matches are best-of-three, all others are best-of-one. Teams are seeded via the Buchholz system from round three onwards. Seven qualification spots are available for the Opening Stage of the Major; the two teams with the worst 3-2 record play a tiebreaker match for the final qualification spot.
Participants and qualification paths:
Schedule: November 17-20 for RMR A and November 21-24 for RMR B
Format: Europe is such a dominant region in Counter-Strike that its teams take up 14 of the 24 spots in the upcoming Major, and all direct seeds to the main event's second Swiss Stage – the Elimination Stage – hail from the region. This means the teams with the eight best Valve rankings across RMRs A and B will get to skip a round at the Major! Here, this is not determined by Swiss records or extra matches – instead, following the conclusion of the RMR tournaments, qualified teams are seeded based on Valve's Regional Standings within their region's pre-defined seeds.
Otherwise, the format is identical to that of the American RMR: a 16-team, five-round Swiss System bracket, where elimination and qualification matches are best-of-three, all others are best-of-one. Again, teams are seeded via the Buchholz system from round three onwards. Seven qualification spots are available for the Opening Stage of the Major; the two teams with the worst 3-2 record play a tiebreaker match for the final qualification spot.
Participants and qualification paths (EU RMR A):
Participants and qualification paths (EU RMR B):
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