The biggest event of the CS2 calendar has arrived at last.

With the RMRs done, attention turns to the main event: The CS2 Perfect World Shanghai Major starts on November 30.

Over the course of a fortnight, the 24 entering teams will be whittled down to one. Who will become the next CS2 Major champions? Here's everything you need to know about the Shanghai Major.

Table of contents

Shanghai Major CS2 format and teams

24 teams, one trophy. (Image via Perfect World)
24 teams, one trophy. (Image via Perfect World)

The Perfect World Shanghai Major is a three-stage tournament:

  • Opening Stage
    • Formerly known as the Challenger Stage, 16 teams will compete in a Swiss stage. All 0-0, 0-1, 1-0, and 1-1 matches will be best-of-one; all elimination or progression matches are best-of-three.
    • Three wins means a team will progress to the Elimination Stage. Three losses mean a team is eliminated.
  • Elimination Stage
    • Formerly known as the Legends Stage, the eight Opening Stage qualifiers will meet the eight Elimination Stage invites from the RMR qualifiers. They'll play out another Swiss stage identical to the Opening Stage.
    • Three wins means a team progresses to the playoffs; three losses mean a team is eliminated.
  • Playoff Stage
    • Formerly known as the Champions Stage, the eight remaining teams will play out a single-elimination bracket until one team stands above all.
    • All matches are best-of-three.

Below you'll find the teams participating in the Shanghai Major and the stage at which they will begin their CS2 major campaign.

Major Stage
Team(s)
Opening Stage
(Challengers)
FURIA
Virtus.pro
Team Liquid
Complexity
BIG
Fnatic
The MongolZ
paiN Gaming
GamerLegion
MIBR
Cloud9
FlyQuest
Passion UA
Wildcard
Rare Atom
Imperial Esports
Elimination Stage
(Legends)
G2 Esports
Natus Vincere
Team Vitality
Team Spirit
MOUZ
FaZe Clan
HEROIC
3DMAX

Shanghai Major CS2 schedule and results

All match times are in Central European Time (CET).

Opening Stage

The Opening Stage begins Nov. 30. (Screenshot via Liquipedia)
The Opening Stage begins Nov. 30. (Screenshot via Liquipedia)

November 30 - Round 1

  • 4am: FURIA vs. GamerLegion | VP vs. MIBR
  • 5am: Liquid vs. Cloud9 | Complexity vs. FlyQuest
  • 6am: BIG vs. Passion UA | Fnatic vs. Wildcard
  • 7am: MongolZ vs. Rare Atom | paiN vs. Imperial

November 30 - Round 2

  • TBD

December 1 - Round 3

  • TBD

December 2 - Round 4

  • TBD

December 3 - Round 5

  • TBD

Elimination Stage

Eight teams bide their time in the Elimination Stage. (Screenshot via Liquipedia)
Eight teams bide their time in the Elimination Stage. (Screenshot via Liquipedia)

December 5 - Round 1

  • TBD

December 5 - Round 2

  • TBD

December 6 - Round 3

  • TBD

December 7 - Round 4

  • TBD

December 8 - Round 5

  • TBD

Playoff Stage

The schedule for the Shanghai Major Playoff Stage is yet to be determined. Check back soon!

How to watch the Perfect World Shanghai Major

The Perfect World Shanghai Major will be streamed live via PGL on Twitch and YouTube. If you missed the action, spoiler-free replays of each matchday will be available on each respective channel.

The Opening and Elimination stages of the Shanghai Major will involve two streams as some matches will be played simultaneously. The primary and secondary streams, as well as broadcasts in other languages, can be found via Liquipedia.


That's all for now! Head to esports.gg for the latest CS2 news and coverage.