As G2 Esports emerges as the newest champion of a Tier 1 event, an exhilarating conclusion to 2025 in Counter-Strike esports is anticipated, cs2 notes with multiple teams positioning themselves as contenders for the championship. With victories over Virtus.pro and FaZe Clan (Team Vitality advanced effortlessly through the Group Stage), later overpowering The MongolZ in the semi-finals to prepare for an exhilarating final against Team Spirit. The 2025 season promises to be one of the most thrilling in the annals of Counter-Strike 2 esports! It is expected that the second Major will take place in a country renowned for its historical significance in hosting major esports events, thus enticing a greater number of viewers and participants. Alongside the usual contingent of teams from the Valve Global Standings, there are four competitors that qualified through regional events.
On November 12, 2023, Perfect World, who are responsible for distributing Counter-Strike 2 in China, announced the second major following the release of Counter-Strike 2, taking place in Shanghai between December 1-15, 2024. 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. The November Major was announced with a US$2,000,000 prize pool, combining the amounts that would have been set aside for both Majors.
The latest installment of the FISSURE Playground tournament series brought numerous prominent players from the VRS top ten to Belgrade (Serbia), vying for an opportunity to secure their position among the top 32 teams.
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 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.
It’s their chance to earn good cash, but making it to the finals is a great challenge. The year is filled with exciting tournaments, so we have lots of opportunities to enjoy the competition and learn from the best. FACEIT Points can be redeemed for games, skins, and other rewards on the FACEIT shop. Specific details on maps and rules will be announced with each tournament.
Spring 2026 schedule for CS2 esports
After Berlin 2019 (Valve and ESL announced the following Major), ESL One Rio 2020, which was to be the first Major to be hosted in South America. With wins at London 2018 (Katowice 2019), and Berlin 2019, Astralis become the first team to win three Majors in a row and four majors total. This feat has only been matched by Astralis and Team Vitality, although Vitality did not maintain the same roster core throughout their Major wins. The tournament took place in late November and was won by the Swedish team Fnatic who upset Ninjas in Pyjamas in the finals. Many teams from other parts of the world would win Majors (including 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.