Counter-Strike Major is going to Asia for the first time with Shanghai Major set to happen by the end of 2024, according to Chinese tournament organizer Perfect World, who announced on Sunday via their social media handle.
A major has never been played in China, nor the Asia-Pacific region but Perfect World confirmed CS2’s biggest event will be in Shanghai, China next year via X, formerly Twitter, on Nov. 12 after rumors that emerged in July of a possible Chinese-bound Major.
The announcement is coming just before the CS2 Asia Championships grand finals between FaZe Clan and MOUZ on Sunday. The two teams won their respective semifinals earlier on Sunday.
The Chinese Major will happen in the middle of December next year, with the RMR qualification system starting at the end of October. All these dates are still subject to confirmation from Perfect World, who are yet to reveal concrete dates for the Major just yet.
In August, reports emerged that Perfect World was running to hold a second Major in 2023 alongside organizer BLAST, but the launch of CS2 in Q3 put an end to any plans. However, the dual-cycle format of the Majors will resume in 2024, with the PGL Copenhagen Major kicking off in mid-March next year.
Perfect World is known for publishing and hosting varying degrees of eSports tournaments in the Chinese region.
Stakeholders believe that an Asian Major, which has previously been unfavored by the unfavorable timezone in the APAC region, would be incredibly beneficial for CS2 as a whole. The return of offline tournaments this week in combination with the launch of CS2 will further boost the interest in the region. It is certain that local esports enthusiasts will anticipate the Major in the coming months as more details surrounding the Shanghai Major will be revealed in the coming months.
Daniel Ademiju Idowu
