The Shanghai Major will be the pinnacle event of the 2024 CS2 esports calendar, so it's an event you can't miss.

Counter-Strike 2 (CS2) Perfect World Shanghai Major 2024 is the 2nd Major in the history of CS2. The tournament brings together 24 of the best teams from around the world, competing for the majority of the $1.25 million prize pool and the prestigious title of Major CS2 champion.

Organized by Perfect World Esports, the tournament takes place from November 30 to December 15 at two locations in Shanghai, China: Shanghai World Congress and Exhibition Center and Shanghai Oriental Sports Center .

Team participation

The 24 teams participating in the Shanghai Major earned their spots through a series of Regional Major Ranking (RMR) events for Europe, the Americas and Asia-Pacific, taking place from November 11 to 24. The RMR Asia-Pacific region granted three spots, while the RMR Americas and Europe events (A and B) each granted seven spots.

Initially, teams participating in RMR Europe A and B could earn a direct spot into the Elimination Stage of the Shanghai Major depending on their performance at RMR.

However, inconsistencies in communication between CS2 developer Valve Software and organizers Perfect World Esports led to an incident that left people confused as to whether certain teams were granted direct spots. Elimination Stage or not. Finally, Valve's Regional Standing (VRS) system was used to determine the ranked positions of teams at the Shanghai Major.

Keep reading to learn everything you need about the CS2 Shanghai Major.

List of qualified teams:

• RMR Europe A:

o Team Vitality
o MOUZ
o Natus Vincere
o FaZe Clan
o Cloud9
o Fnatic
o GamerLegion

• RMR Europe B:

o BIG
o 3DMAX
o G2 Esports
o HEROIC
o Virtus.pro
o Passion UA
o Team Spirit

• RMR Americas:

o Wildcard Gaming
o MIBR
o Team Liquid
o compLexity Gaming
o paiN Gaming
o Imperial Esports
o FURIA Esports
• RMR Asia-Pacific:

o The MongolZ
o Rare Atom
o FlyQuest
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Competition format

The Shanghai Major will be divided into three distinct stages: Opening Stage from November 30 to December 3, Elimination Stage from December 5 to 8, and Playoff Stage from December 12 to 15. Opening Stage and Elimination Stage will be held at the Shanghai World Congress and Exhibition Center, while the Playoff Stage will take place at the Shanghai Oriental Sports Center.

Opening Stage will have the participation of 16 teams assigned to this stage, competing in the 16-team Swiss format. The top eight teams will advance to the Elimination Stage, while the remaining eight teams will be eliminated. Promotion and knockout matches at the Opening Stage will be played in a best-of-three format, while the remaining matches will only be best-of-one.

Elimination Stage will also apply the 16-team Swiss format like the Opening Stage. This time, 16 teams participated including eight teams that were directly assigned to the Elimination Stage and eight teams that passed the Opening Stage. The top eight teams at the Elimination Stage will advance to the Playoff Stage, while the remaining eight teams will be eliminated.

The Playoff Stage will use a single-elimination format, with all matches, including the final, being played in a best-of-three format.

Below is a list of teams sorted by whether they started from the Opening Stage or the Elimination Stage:

Opening Stage:

o FURIA Esports
o Virtus.pro
o Team Liquid
o Complexity Gaming
o BIG
o Fnatic
o The MongolZ
o paiN Gaming
o GamerLegion
o MIBR
o Cloud9
o FlyQuest
o Passion UA
o Wildcard Gaming
o Rare Atom
o Imperial Esports

Elimination Stage:

o G2 Esports
o Natus Vincere
o Team Vitality
o Team Spirit
o MOUZ
o FaZe Clan
o HEROIC
o 3DMAX

Note: Initially, BIG qualified for the Elimination Stage, but due to Valve's adjustments, they will start from the Opening Stage, while Team Spirit will enter the Elimination Stage directly.
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Prize

The Shanghai Major's total prize pool is 1.25 million USD, with all teams receiving at least 10,000 USD. Here's the full prize pool breakdown for the Shanghai Major:

• 1st: $500,000
• 2nd: $170,000
• 3rd-4th: $80,000
• 5th-8th: $45,000
• 9th-16th: $20,000
• 17th-24th: $10,000
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Where to watch live?

PGL has been appointed as Perfect World Esports' official English broadcast partner for the Shanghai Major. All matches will be broadcast live on the official YouTube and PGL Twitch channels. A secondary Twitch channel will also be active during the Opening Stage and Elimination Stage to accommodate the large number of matches that will be broadcast. 

In addition, all matches will be compiled on VSGG for you to easily follow.

Follow VSGG to update the latest information, schedule and results from the tournament.