Earlier today, Valve officially updated their Counter-Strike 2 Major rulebook, confirming the reports that their illustrious tournament would expand from 24 teams to 32. The increase in teams also means that the CS2 Major will expand the number of Swiss Stages from two to three. There will also be a new series of qualifier events, called the Major Regional Qualifiers.
The next Major on the schedule, the BLAST.tv Austin Major in April 2025, should be the first to incorporate the new changes.
We’re Gonna Need a Bigger Stage
The CS2 Major will now prominently feature three 16-team Swiss Stages before culminating in the traditional eight-team single-elimination playoff bracket. Each Swiss Stage will still feature best-of-one matches in the first two rounds.
Eight teams will receive a direct invite to the third stage, and eight will receive a direct invite to the second stage. The Major Regional Qualifiers, which are replacing the Regional Major Ranking (RMR) events, will determine the 16 teams that begin in stage one.
The regional distribution of the teams invited to each stage of the CS2 Major is directly determined by that region’s performance at the previous Major. Six European teams, one Americas team, and one Asia/Pacific team are invited to stage three, based on the teams that reached the playoffs of the Perfect World Shanghai Major. Four EU teams and four Americas teams will be invited to stage two. Six EU teams, six Americas teams, and four Asia/Pacific teams will qualify from MRQs to stage one.
The official Valve Regional Standings for each of the three regions will determine which teams are invited to stage three, stage two, or the MRQs. The highest ranked teams from each region that haven’t already been invited to stage two or stage three will be invited to the MRQs.
Speaking of MRQs, which are replacing the Regional Major Ranking (RMR) events for determining Major participants, here are the new formats:
- Eight Asia/Pacific teams will compete in a two-group GSL-style bracket. Four teams will advance to Stage One.
- 16 European teams will compete in their own Swiss Stage. Six teams will advance to Stage One.
- 16 Americas teams will compete in their own Swiss Stage. Six teams will advance to Stage One.
- If Americas must be subdivided to North America and South America due to ping issues, “Major invitations will be split evenly among the regions.”
Additionally, the changes to the CS2 Major rulebook say that the MRQs may be held online, though players and teams will likely heavily oppose playing online.
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