CS2: Perfect World Shanghai Major 2024

The first-ever edition of the Shanghai Major for Counter-Strike 2 (CS2) will be held at the end of the year. One of the most important eSports events is organized by Perfect World (here under the banner Perfect World Esports), the partner of Valve (a video game development and digital distribution company that created the title predecessor Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS: GO)) for the Chinese market. As the name says, Shanghai, the most populous and largest urban area in China, will host the tournament (the 21st Major counting both CS: GO and CS2), featuring 24 men’s teams worldwide.
Subject Counter-Strike 2
Start Date 2024-11-30
End Date 2024-12-15
Status It`s on now
Location Shanghai
Prize Pool $1,250,000
Participants 24 men’s teams
Type LAN (offline)
Tournament Champion Not defined
Format Opening & Elimination Stages (Swiss system), Playoffs (single elimination bracket)
Organizer Perfect World

Which Teams Will Take Part in the CS2: Perfect World Shanghai Major 2024?

The list of participants in the tournament hasn’t been completely formed, given that qualifications are still in full swing. Depending on where they stood in the Valve rankings, teams received invitations to the RMR regional events and Closed Qualifiers. The top 24 teams in the world will compete in Shanghai.
Team Vitality
1
apEX
2
ZywOo
3
Spinx
4
flameZ
5
mezii
6
XTQZZZ
BIG
1
tabseN
2
Krimbo
3
syrsoN
4
JDC
5
rigoN
6
kakafu
MOUZ
1
torzsi
2
xertioN
3
siuhy
4
Jimpphat
5
Brollan
6
sycrone
3DMAX
1
Lucky
2
Djoko
3
Ex3rcice
4
Maka
5
Graviti
6
wasiNk
Natus Vincere
1
b1t
2
Aleksib
3
jL
4
iM
5
w0nderful
6
B1ad3
FaZe Clan
1
rain
2
broky
3
karrigan
4
ropz
5
frozen
6
NEO
FURIA Esports
1
yuurih
2
KSCERATO
3
FalleN
4
chelo
5
skullz
6
sidde
Cloud9
1
Ax1Le
2
Boombl4
3
HeavyGod
4
ICY
5
groove
Team Liquid
1
NAF
2
YEKINDAR
3
Twistzz
4
ultimate
5
jks
6
mithR
Complexity Gaming
1
JT
2
floppy
3
Grim
4
hallzerk
5
EliGE
6
T.c
Fnatic
1
KRIMZ
2
afro
3
bodyy
4
matys
5
blameF
6
keita
The MongolZ
1
bLitz
2
Techno4K
3
910
4
mzinho
5
Senzu
6
maaRaa
paiN Gaming
1
biguzera
2
lux
3
kauez
4
nqz
5
snow
6
rikz
MIBR
1
exit
2
brnz4n
3
insani
4
drop
5
saffee
6
nak
GamerLegion
1
volt
2
sl3nd
3
aNdu
4
FL4MUS
5
ztr
6
ashhh
FlyQuest
1
INS
2
aliStair
3
Liazz
4
Vexite
5
dexter
6
erkaSt
Imperial Esports
1
VINI
2
felps
3
noway
4
decenty
5
try
6
zakk
Rare Atom
1
somebody
2
Summer
3
L1haNg
4
ChildKing
5
kaze
6
z8z
Wildcard
1
stanislaw
2
JBa
3
Sonic
4
susp
5
phzy
6
vinS
Load more

Recomended bookmakers

Up to 125 EUR Visit
Up to 100 EUR Visit
Up to 100 EUR Visit

Where and When Will the CS2: Perfect World Shanghai Major 2024 Be Held?

Twenty Counter-Strike majors have occurred since DreamHack Winter 2013: 19 in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive and only one in the brand-new Counter-Strike 2 (PGL Major Copenhagen 2024). Shanghai Major 2024, scheduled to start on November 30 and end on December 15, is expected to be one of the largest eSports competitions in history. We’ll have to wait and see whether it will break the long-standing Counter-Strike viewership record of 2.75 million concurrent viewers set in the Grand Final of PGL Major Stockholm 2021. The $1,250,000 prize pool for the tournament in Shanghai will be split among the 24 competitors as follows:

  • The champions will get $500,000
  • The vice champions will get $170,000
  • Third- and fourth-placed will get $80,000 each
  • Teams placed fifth to eighth will get $45,000 each
  • Teams placed ninth to 16th will get $20,000 each

The Shanghai World Expo Exhibition and Convention Center, which can accommodate up to 5,000 spectators, will host the Opening and Elimination Stages. The Playoffs will take place over the final four days of the competition at the SPD Bank Oriental Sports Center, an indoor venue that can accommodate 13,000 people. All three stages will have a live audience, which is uncommon for a Major. StarLadder Major Berlin 2019 likewise had a crowd for the first two stages, though modest, but the only time it was done on a significant scale was at IEM Rio 2022.

When the Perfect World Shanghai Major 2024 takes place, it will be the first CS2 Major without Open Qualifiers for America and Europe. The significance of Valve’s regional rankings and the competition teams face in every tournament that affects their standing in Valve’s rankings are both increased by this innovation. The only teams that can now compete for a Major spot are those that are invited based on the title creator’s rankings. In contrast, Asia will continue to use the open qualifying system, which reflects a more accommodating attitude toward a region with fewer elite teams. This allows up-and-coming local teams to compete internationally. Overall, the 24 teams’ division across the three regions—14 from Europe, 7 from America, and 3 from Asia—highlights the organizer’s dedication to equitable participation and fosters a competitive atmosphere for all teams.

  • Open Qualifiers for Asia – August 21-26
  • Closed Qualifiers for Europe – August 21-23
  • Closed Qualifiers for the Americas – August 26-28
  • Closed Qualifiers for Asia – August 27-30
  • Asian RMR – November 11-14 (3 slots)
  • American RMR – November 12-15 (7 slots)
  • European RMR A – November 17-20 (7 slots)
  • European RMR B – November 21-24 (7 slots)

Twenty-four teams will compete in three stages.

  • Opening Stage (November 30 – December 3)
  • Elimination Stage (December 5-8)
  • Playoffs (December 12-15)

Sixteen teams will participate in a Swiss format for the first two stages. The top eight teams from each stage will move on to the next round, and the worst eight teams will be eliminated from the competition. The Quarterfinals will kick off the Playoffs. Teams won’t have any leeway at this point because the losing team will be ousted from the competition rather than relegated to the Lower Bracket as is usual in most other CS2 tournaments.

At the time of writing the tournament review, 11 teams qualified for the Opening Stage of the Perfect World Shanghai Major 2024:

  • FURIA Esports
  • Team Liquid
  • Complexity Gaming
  • The MongolZ
  • paiN Gaming
  • MIBR
  • FlyQuest
  • Imperial Esports
  • Rare Atom
  • Wildcard
  • GamerLegion

Opening Stage invites are given to:

  • Cloud9
  • Fnatic
  • Team Liquid

There are four Elimination Stage invites:

  • FaZe Clan
  • MOUZ
  • Team Vitality
  • Natus Vincere

Features of the CS2: Perfect World Shanghai Major 2024

This Major will be the second in Counter-Strike 2 history. Additionally, it will be Asia’s first Major. By doing this, Valve hopes to raise CS2’s profile in the region and show that the business is prepared for additional integrations that will allow it to host majors across the globe.

For a number of years, Valve and Perfect World have worked together, with Perfect World serving as the developer’s exclusive regional distributor for Dota 2 and Counter-Strike 2. Since the partners have already hosted multiple Dota 2 majors in China, it was clear who’d host the nation’s first-ever Counter-Strike major.

Chinese players were given access to CS: GO in 2017 by Perfect World, which first offered a closed beta before switching to an open one. The additional features were tailored for the Chinese market and included identity verification procedures and a personalized launch. For the corporation and the international eSports community, Perfect World Shanghai Major 2024 will be a significant occasion that will open the door for even more international competitions in Asia.

Who’ll Win the CS2: Perfect World Shanghai Major 2024?

The Perfect World Shanghai Major 2024 champions can be any of the eight teams that make it past the Opening and Elimination Stages. But according to CS2 betting websites, the following three have the best odds of winning the tournament at the moment:

  • Natus Vincere

Natus Vincere, renowned for their well-coordinated lineup and coach Andrij “B1ad3” Ghorodensjkyj’s tactical prowess, are the tournament’s biggest favorites. As of right now, the Ukrainian team is rightfully at the top of both the Valve and HLTV rankings. NAVI’s accomplishments include wins at the Esports World Cup 2024, ESL Pro League Season 20, and IEM Rio 2024, in addition to a victory at the year’s first Major, PGL Major Copenhagen 2024.

  • G2 Esports

G2 Esports, the German squad that’s the second-ranked in the world, is the only team capable of challenging NAVI’s dominance this season. Both the seasoned rifler Nikola “NiKo” Kovač and the gifted young sniper Ilya “m0NESY” Osipov have proven time and time again that they can battle on an equal footing with NAVI, even helping their team defeat them in the BLAST Premier: Fall Final 2024 final. They now dominate the European RMR B standings, and only a miracle will keep them from making it to the Shanghai Major. G2 won BLAST Premier: World Final 2024, the last big tournament before the Shanghai Major.

  • Team Vitality

French Team Vitality completes the trio of favorites. They’ve only won one major tournament this year, IEM Cologne 2024, but there they triumphed over NAVI and have the potential to do it again. The “Bees” could contend for a major championship if their captain, Mathieu “ZywOo” Herbaut, is in peak shape when he gets to the Major.

Pros and Cons of the CS2: Perfect World Shanghai Major 2024 Favorites

TEAMNAVIG2 EsportsTeam Vitaliy
PROS
  • Well-coordinated lineup
    Their coach “B1ad3’s” tactical prowess
    Winners of the first-ever CS2 Major and Esports World Cup 2024
  • Have a skilled rifler (“NiKo” ) and sniper (“m0NESY”)
    Winners of BLAST Premier: World Final 2024, the last big tournament before Shanghai Major
  • Pushing “flameZ” into the most important spots on the CT side instead of “apEX”
CONS
  • Vulnerable on the Inferno map
  • Occasional poor judgments of their coach “TaZ” in picking maps
  • Lack of consistency as they’ve only won one major tournament this year
Who do you think will win the CS2: Perfect World Shanghai Major 2024?

PGL’s YouTube and Twitch networks will stream the Shanghai Major’s official English broadcast. With well-known figures as “ohnePixel”, “fl0m”, and “olofmeister” presenting the matches along with their reactions, you may also tune in through a variety of co-streams. On PGL_CS2, B stream matches will be displayed.

MILOS VASILJEVIC
He’s the mastermind behind our captivating content, leveraging his extensive journalism experience to craft compelling sports news and insightful betting predictions. His passion for the game and knack for storytelling ensure our readers are always engaged and informed, bringing a unique and expert perspective to every piece he writes.
Publication date : 22.11.2024
Last modified date: 06.12.2024

Frequently Asked Questions

Which team has the most titles in the Majors for the CS2?
How will the prize fund of the tournament be distributed?
Which edition of the Shanghai Major is this one?