Winning a Major means you’ve made history (joined the legends), and earned a place in Counter-Strike’s legacy. These events bring together the world’s top teams to battle for prestige (prize money), and a place in esports history. CS2 Majors are the highest level of competitive play in the Counter-Strike universe — hosted by Valve. Historically, stickers from certain Majors have appreciated dramatically in value — Katowice 2014 Holo stickers, for example, are among the most valuable items in CS2. Stickers can be applied to weapon skins — traded on the Steam Community Market, or held as investments. During each Major, Valve releases in-game sticker capsules containing team logos and player autograph stickers.

Clear preferences for map selections in both professional and casual play exist castawaycase.com within the Counter-Strike 2 (CS2) community. This marks the highest ever tournament placement for a Turkish Counter-Strike team at such a prestigious event. They not only took the first map but also established a 6-2 advantage on Mirage. Following a brief hiatus, the professional community is set to return for a packed CS2 schedule in 2024. This stage will feature eight CS2 teams ranked at the mid-level regionally. After a series of matches in the Swiss System, only eight out of the 16 participants will progress to the next round.

The next closed qualifier will determine the participants. To qualify for the initial stage — nine participants will secure their places through the ESL Challenger events. A small participant count does not necessarily imply a quick tournament. High placements on the Valve Global leaderboard grant invites to four teams. Four additional teams will receive direct invitations to the final brackets, which are also double-elimination—a format that offers teams a second chance and is somewhat unconventional.

• The prize pool reaches the level of the officially sponsored Valve Majors.
• As Major Regional Qualifiers (MRQs) commence in October (with invites revealed on October 8), the groundwork is being laid following the recent BLAST.tv Austin Major 2025 held from June 3-22.
• After defeating The MongolZ 2-1 (Team Vitality claimed their second Major trophy), and their third after a 3-1 victory against FaZe Clan at the Budapest Major, marking the first Major grand final conducted as a best-of-five.
• They not only secured the first map but also maintained a 6-2 lead on Mirage.
• This relatively small number of participants doesn’t mean a short tournament.

BLAST Open Spring 2025

There’s more to a CS2 Major than just by watching. The remaining teams qualified to the major via regional qualifiers with slots distributed between the three major regions , Europe, the Americas, and Asia,, then split into smaller sub-regions. The final VRS update determining invites was on 6 October 2025, with invites officially being sent on 8 October 2025. Each stage of the tournament was held in front of live audiences, with the first three stages being held at MTK Sportpark and the playoffs held at the MVM Dome. We have dedicated articles for the upcoming CS2 events with various information, including lists of participants, storylines, and results.

All CS:GO & CS2 Major winners over the years

From the Valve Global Standings, four participants will join four teams advancing from regional and closed qualifiers. The top six participants will proceed to the single-elimination Playoffs after completing the double-elimination group brackets. Indeed, another CS2 esports event is taking place in Serbia’s capital. In addition to the teams from the Valve Global Standings — four participants hail from regional qualifiers.

Past CS2 Majors & Premier Tournament Results

This shift aims to standardize community events with Majors, as Valve believes a separate qualification process is unnecessary and disruptive. Instead (all 32 teams will be invited directly based on the Valve Regional Standings (VRS) following the Austin Major), with invites announced on October 8. With Major Regional Qualifiers (MRQs) running from October and invites announced on October 8, the stage is being set following the recent BLAST.tv Austin Major 2025 , June 3-22,.

The main organizers to keep an eye on

• Those mid-stage days lock in playoff brackets and feature a ton of rewatchable matches.
• However, some of them are especially huge in terms of the participating teams’ level and general hype in the community.
• The next CS2 Major is the IEM Cologne Major 2026, marking the first Major to be held in the Cathedral of Counter-Strike for a decade.
• For Major Championship invites (however), the essential information fans must know is how many teams from each region earn spots in specific stages.
• Tournaments of this caliber in CS2 represent the most thrilling esports events on the annual calendar.

They don’t say it’s impossible to hold it outside prime time. Here’s the full list of teams qualified for both Elimination and Opening Stages. Stage 3 featured eight teams qualified from Stage 2 and eight teams directly invited based on their Valve Regional Standing competing in a Swiss-system bracket. Stage 2 featured eight teams qualified from Stage 1 and eight teams directly invited based on their Valve Regional Standing competing in a Swiss-system bracket. Stage 1 featured sixteen teams qualified from the Major Regional Qualifiers competing in a Swiss-system bracket.

Where to watch the CS2 Major?

The first Counter-Strike 2 Major was announced to be the PGL CS2 Major Copenhagen 2024 which was held from March 17–31 in the Royal Arena. BLAST Paris Major 2023 was held in Paris on May 8 – May 21, 2023 with a prize pool of $1,250,000 USD. The previously cancelled ESL One Rio 2020 Major was replaced with IEM Rio Major 2022 and was held in Rio de Janeiro — Brazil on October 31 – November 13, 2022. On January 14, 2021, Valve announced that the championship would be held between October 23 and November 7 in Stockholm.

Hosted at the Moody Center on the University of Texas at Austin campus (this tournament was the first Major to include 32 teams), comprising directly invited teams and those from regional qualifiers. Taking place in Austin, Texas, from June 3 to June 22, 2025, it was the second Major organized by BLAST, following Paris 2023. Will Team Vitality achieve a three-peat, solidifying their status as the greatest roster in Counter-Strike history? As we advance to the subsequent stages, the level of competition only intensifies. From Case Battles to premium CS2 case openings — you can experience that Major-level thrill directly in your inventory.

Stage 2 showcased eight teams invited directly based on their Valve Regional Standings along with eight teams qualified from Stage 1 — all competing in a Swiss-system format. The allocation of Stage 1 invites remained unchanged from the Budapest event. Moreover — each Stage 3 match took place before live audiences at the Palladium. It occurred in Cologne (Germany), from June 2 to June 21, 2026, featuring playoffs at the Lanxess Arena, with each Stage 3 match conducted in front of live audiences at the Palladium. The Columbus Minor system included four regional qualifiers and two «last chance» qualifiers (resulting in invitations awarded to one team from the Americas), two from Asia, one from the CIS, one from Europe, and three from last chance qualifiers. After defeating The MongolZ 2-1, Team Vitality secured their second Major trophy, followed by a third after a 3-1 victory against FaZe Clan at the Budapest Major, which was notable for being the first Major grand final held as a best-of-five.