Valve Confirms CS2 Majors To Give Chance To 32 Teams

This is exciting news for Counter-Strike 2 fans and the CS community: Valve is making CS2 Majors even bigger and better by expanding from 24 to 32 teams. This change adds a new stage to the tournament, meaning Majors will now last four days longer.

Why does it matter to have 32 CS teams instead of 24?

We have seen many upsets and missed opportunities at the RMRs in 2024 like the story of DRILLAS that had OhnePixel fans hyping every play the team makes, with this format being implemented, more teams will get a shot at competing on the global stage, which means that tier 2 teams will become as important as S tier teams and fans will enjoy even more thrilling matches.

To make this work, Valve is introducing a new qualifying system called Major Regional Qualifiers (MRQs). Think of MRQs as a stepping stone to the Majors. They replace the old RMR system and will now allow regions to host online qualifiers. This means teams in regions like North and South America (or Asia's sub-regions) can compete fairly, without worrying about internet delays (ping).

Here’s How The New Valve Major Format Works:

1. Stage 1: Teams from MRQs compete to secure their spots. For example, Europe will send six teams, the Americas six, and Asia four.
2. Stage 2: These Stage 1 winners join eight teams directly invited based on how well regions performed at the previous Major.

• For example, if a region had teams that made it far last time, they get more invites.

1. Stage 3: The best of Stage 2 plus additional invites face off in the playoffs.

For the upcoming BLAST Austin Major 2025, Europe gets the most Stage 3 invites because teams like G2 and FaZe performed well at the Shanghai Major playoffs. Meanwhile, the Americas thanks to Liquid and Asia The MongolZ( previous champions of YaLLaCompass) each get one invite.

How Does This Help The CS2 Esports Community?

More opportunities for teams from all over the world, more matches for fans to enjoy, and a format that ensures fair play across regions. It’s a huge step forward for making CS2 Majors more inclusive and competitive.

If you still didn't get what this new rule from VALVE is about then just imagine if your favorite underdog team couldn’t travel for qualifiers before due to less spots. Now, they can compete online, get a fair chance, and maybe even make it to the Majors. That’s the kind of change this new system brings!