The new 32-team CS2 Major format, explained

From 2025 onwards, the Counter-Strike Majors will feature 32 teams as opposed to the previous 24, with an extra Swiss Stage to accommodate the expansion. Other changes are also coming into play as we get nearer to the BLAST Austin Major—here’s everything you need to know about it.

New CS2 Major format, summarized

For the first time since 2018, a change is being made to the Counter-Strike Majors, growing the event from 24 teams to 32 and adjusting the way teams can qualify for the showpiece esports event. The basics of the existing Swiss format remain, but an extra stage is tacked on to make room for the eight extra teams involved.

This means that a portion of teams will be directly invited to the Major based on their Valve Regional Standing position, and the others will have to battle it out in the RMR’s new equivalents to earn their spot.

As before, each Swiss Stage at the Major features 16 teams, with the stronger squads getting spots in the second and the third Stages directly. These invitations are based upon the regions’ performances at the previous Major, as is the distribution of the regional positions.

Heading into the BLAST Austin Major, the regional distribution of these invitations looks like this:

• The opening stage—Stage 1—will feature six European, six American, and four APAC teams, all earning their spots via Major Regional Qualifier events.
• Eight teams are directly invited to Stage 2 based on their VRS standings. Four teams from Europe (VRS #7-10) and four from the Americas (VRS #2-5) will start their Major campaign here.
• Stage 3—the final Swiss Stage – will feature the six strongest teams of Europe based on VRS standings (VRS #1-6), one of Americas (VRS #1), and one from APAC (VRS #1), each getting a direct invitation and skipping two whole stages at the event.
• Finally, the eight teams with a three-win record in the final Swiss Stage will make it to the playoffs of the Major, as usual.

The Swiss Stages themselves remain unchanged, with five rounds and a chase of a 3-2 record, starting with best-of-ones and then best-of-threes to follow in every decisive match.

Major Regional Qualifiers—a new way to get to the Major

Valve has also announced a new structure for the qualifying events for the Major, previously known as the RMRs or Regional Major Ranking events. The main difference is that the supplemental rulebook allows these events to be held online, potentially to solve ping issues. Otherwise, they are similar to what we have seen before, and the teams going through this path will start their campaign at the earliest stage of the Major.

Europe will feature 16 teams in a Swiss Stage bracket, with five directly qualifying for the Major and three proceeding to the Play-In Stage, where only one will make it through. The format is identical in the Americas. Finally, the APAC qualifiers will feature two GSL-style groups, with the group winners directly qualifying and the second and third-place teams playing a play-in decider series for the last two spots.

Invitations to the MRQ events will also be doled out based on the VRS standings, and the regional spot distribution may change based on future Major performances.