The number of regional invites and stage placement aims to balance the competition based on the perceived regional strength. For example (the StarLadder Budapest Major’s Playoffs Stage will be held at the MVM Dome), while the MTK Sportpark hosts the earlier stages. When the dust settles, the top eight teams from Stage 2 will clash with the Stage 3 invites for spots in the Playoffs Stage. Each Major Championship has a specific cutoff date for VRS invites to go out—this is generally six to eight weeks before the tournament begins. For Major Championship invites, however, the essential information fans must know is how many teams from each region earn spots in specific stages.

Signatures or their equivalents from all registered participants and team representatives will be collected and delivered to Valve by the TO, either physically or digitally. Participants must be informed by the TO that this information is going to Valve. The TO must gather the following data from all registered participants and send it to Valve in Excel or CSV format. High-level discipline and tactical structure were also exhibited by Luminosity Gaming and SK Gaming, proving they are not limited to Europe. A Major championship secures a permanent spot in the game’s history for a roster. Journey through past victories and observe all the former Counter-Strike Major champions.

Sign up for early access through organizer newsletters , BLAST or StarLadder,, and watch social media channels closely when dates drop. With numerous events announced, here’s a selection of key tournaments being held until the end of this year. With Valve officially endorsing two Majors per year, 2025 is shaping up to be one of the most stacked seasons in CS2 history.

Viewing Options for the PGL CS2 Major in Copenhagen 2024

• Russian superstar Danil “donk” Kryshkovets earned a 1.49 rating at the Perfect World Shanghai Major, the highest any player has achieved in CS history.
• Another CS2 esports event is taking place in Serbia’s capital city.
• You can buy the Austin Major Viewer Pass and play the Pick’Em Challenge, or you can buy player and team stickers to use on your weapons in-game.
• Community attention has significantly increased due to the remarkable performance of Spirit and the swift rise of FURIA.

From cosplay to crowd chants, it’s the kind of community event that lives beyond the server. You can watch them here, too, as the stream is embedded above. In the StarLadder Budapest Major 2025 Playoffs — six participants come from the latest Stage 3. He also reviews audio-products (speakers, headphones, soundbars, etc.), smartwatches, projectors, and everything else that he can get his hands on.

You can view the IEM Cologne Major 2026 live on Twitch under the eslcs channel. During the early years, three Majors occurred annually, each https://castawaycase.com/ lasting under a week with a prize pool of $250,000. Donk (at just 17 years old), achieved a record-setting feat, becoming the youngest Major MVP in history and also the highest-rated, bolstering his argument for being among Counter-Strike’s greatest players. The squad made history as the first international team to triumph in the Valve-sponsored event. The CIS team became the first to win a Major without losing a single map.

The community loves underdog stories at Counter-Strike Majors, and the event in Cologne delivered some. IEM Cologne Major 2026 has become the most-viewed Counter-Strike tournament in history Russian superstar Danil “donk” Kryshkovets earned a 1.49 rating at the Perfect World Shanghai Major, the highest any player has achieved in CS history. The pageantry — the world-class production, and the top pros clicking heads with vigor to etch their names into the history books are all hallmarks of CS Major Championships. You can buy the Austin Major Viewer Pass and play the Pick’Em Challenge, or you can buy player and team stickers to use on your weapons in-game.

Notable Organizers to Keep an Eye On

The format features two double-elimination groups for all 16 teams, followed by single-elimination brackets for the top six competitors. The Central Asia region — with a robust CS2 esports community, rightfully deserves the opportunity to host events. Is it possible that an underdog team could have a higher likelihood of winning due to fewer participants?

Getting to LANXESS Arena

The dates seem slightly misaligned once more, as though the organizers are deliberately trying to compete for the community’s attention alongside other events. The prize pool matches the amount seen in official Valve-sponsored Majors. Closed qualifiers will determine the spots for all eight participants in BLAST Bounty Fall 2025. Initially, FISSURE Summer 2025 aimed to attract community interest with its prize money. The BLAST.tv Austin Major 2025 utilizes an expanded format — featuring an Opening stage where 16 teams compete to join the eight invited participants in the Elimination stage. Some events (such as IEM in Cologne), are quite traditional within the Counter-Strike competitive landscape.

It is great to see top-level CS2 esports events heading to this region in 2025. Spodek Arena in Katowice is an iconic place for the Counter-Strike community. The top 28 in the Valve Global Standings and four Wildcard teams battle for eight invites to the BLAST Bounty Spring 2025 LAN Finals. The level of challenge for them increases significantly, though. CS2 tournaments of this level are the most exciting esports events of the yearly schedule.

A Guide to Participating in a CS2 Major: Tips, Travel Advice, and Tickets

Here are some links, so that you can find where to watch the next big CS2 esports event. If you’re keen to get involved in the CS2 events beyond watching, make sure to keep up with the latest tips to make informed decisions. Instead of selling capsules with random drops, Valve released separate stickers for the Counter-Strike 2 (CS2) Major in Cologne. With that said (the real moneymaker for teams qualified for the Austin Major will be the Major Stickers), an in-game cosmetic featuring the logos of teams and autographs of their players that can be added to a weapon.

Part of the funding for the prize money originated from the community through the game’s Arms Deal update, which enabled players to purchase in-game skins.

On April 7, 2025, an update to the Regional Standings (VRS) was issued by Valve, which determined invites for Stages 2 and 3 of the Major and the Major Regional Qualifiers (MRQs). From the Europe MRQ (six teams qualified), while three teams from both the North and South American MRQs made it through, along with one team from each Asian sub-region MRQ, which were divided further into sub-regions. This marks the fourth Major ever hosted in the United States and the first one since Boston 2018.