With G2 Esports becoming the latest winner of a Tier 1 event, Counter-Strike esports is set for an exciting end to 2025 as several teams begin to establish themselves as championship contenders. Team Vitality cruised through the Group Stage with wins over FaZe Clan and Virtus.pro before sweeping aside The MongolZ in the semi-final to set up a blockbuster clash with Team Spirit in the final. 2025 is set to be one of the most exciting seasons in the history of Counter-Strike 2 esports! The second Major is likely to be held in one of the countries with a rich history of hosting major esports events, which will attract even more viewers and participants. In addition to the standard set of Valve Global Standings teams, four participants are from regional qualifiers.

Perfect World (the distributor of Counter-Strike 2 in China), announced on November 12, 2023, that the second major event will occur in Shanghai from December 1 to 15, 2024, following the game’s release. The PGL CS2 Major Copenhagen 2024 was revealed as the first major for Counter-Strike 2, scheduled from March 17 to 31 at the Royal Arena. From May 8 to May 21, 2023, Paris hosted the BLAST Paris Major 2023, featuring a prize pool of $1,250,000 USD. The IEM Rio Major 2022, held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from October 31 to November 13, 2022, replaced the previously cancelled ESL One Rio 2020 Major. Valve declared on January 14, 2021, that the championship would take place in Stockholm from October 23 to November 7. Announced with a prize pool of US$2,000,000, the November Major combined the funds originally allocated for both Major events.

The second edition of the FISSURE Playground tournament series saw several notable names from the VRS top ten head to Belgrade — Serbia, for a chance to cement their place among the top 32 sides. Even though the event followed an unusual format, Team Spirit lifted the trophy with a win against The MongolZ in the Grand Final. The Russian phenom scored his second MVP award of the year after earning his first following Team Spirit’s BLAST Bounty Season 1 victory. Vitality defeated Team Spirit in the semi-finals to set up a rematch against Team Falcons in the IEM Melbourne Grand Final. Team Vitality topped its group with comfortable wins over Wildcard and MOUZ to book yet another place in the playoffs of a Tier 1 event.

In case two teams have similar round wins after two halves, additional rounds apply (overtime) – two halves with 3 rounds in each. The format of the competition means the number of maps that should be played during a match. Starting with Cologne cs2 notes 2014 (maps were grouped into Active Duty and Reserves), with the former category being used for all Majors. At the following Major (IEM Cologne Major 2026), the third Swiss-stage group features only best-of-three matches. Although the playoff stage of the Majors has generally followed a standard 8-team single-elimination format, the group stages have changed multiple times.

This is where the best of the best settle their scores on a pure LAN stage, usually ending in a best of five brawl that defines the season. If a team wins a match, they pocket half of their opponent’s bounty immediately. He specializes in analyzing new releases in the world of computer games, gaming services, and in-game economies. The first will be held from June 9 to 22 in Austin — USA, while the second is expected to take place in December in Europe. In 2026 (the tournament series will continue with expanded geography), including two new locations to be announced later, which will help attract viewers from around the world.

Although reaching the finals poses a significant challenge, this is an opportunity for them to earn substantial cash. Exciting tournaments throughout the year provide us with numerous chances to appreciate the competition and learn from top-tier players. Players can use FACEIT Points to obtain games, skins, and various other rewards available in the FACEIT shop. Each tournament will include specific announcements regarding maps and rules.

Spring 2026 schedule for CS2 Esports

Following Berlin 2019 (ESL and Valve revealed ESL One Rio 2020 as the next major), which was intended to be the first Major hosted in South America. With victories at London 2018, Katowice 2019, and Berlin 2019, Astralis established itself as the first team to achieve three consecutive Major wins and a total of four. Astralis and Team Vitality are the only teams to have accomplished this achievement, though Vitality did not keep the same roster throughout their Major victories. The tournament (conducted in late November), was claimed by the Swedish team Fnatic, who defeated Ninjas in Pyjamas in the finals. Various teams from around the globe have triumphed in Majors (such as Team 3D from the United States at CPL Winter 2002 and WCG 2004), NoA from Norway at CPL Winter 2004, mibr from Brazil at ESWC 2006, and WeMade FOX from South Korea at WEM 2010.