Your Complete Guide To Perfect World Shanghai Major

As the second-ever Counter-Strike 2 (CS2) Major Championship and one of the crowning events of 2024, every pro player wants to lift the Perfect World Shanghai Major 2024 trophy in front of a roaring crowd in Shanghai, China. 

Read More: Valve Unleashes Shanghai Major Viewer Pass & Sticker Capsules

If you are as hyped as we are for the Shanghai Major, then you'll want to know every detail, from the teams to the schedule, the format of each stage, venues, how to watch the action, and more. We've got you covered, so let's jump in!

All Perfect World Shanghai Major Teams

There are 24 of the best CS2 esports teams in the world who managed to survive their respective Regional Major Rankings (RMR) events and are competing in China for a shot at becoming the second-ever CS2 Major Championship winner.

Check out all the teams competing in the Opening Stage and the teams directly qualified for the Elimination Stage, outlined below in order of their standings on Valve's global and regional leaderboards before the event begins.

Opening Stage teams:

• FURIA Esports
• Virtus.pro
• Team Liquid
• Complexity Gaming
• BIG
• fnatic
• The MongolZ
• paiN Gaming
• GamerLegion
• MIBR
• Cloud9
• FlyQuest
• Passion UA
• Wildcard Gaming
• Rare Atom
• Imperial Esports

Elimination Stage teams:

• G2 Esports
• NAVI
• Team Vitality
• Team Spirit
• MOUZ
• FaZe Clan
• HEROIC
• 3DMAX

Shanghai Major Schedule & Stages

The Perfect World Shanghai Major has three stages of competition and runs from 30 November to 15 November 2024. There aren't matches every day of that time period, however, as the tournament is played mostly over the three weekends.

We've got the format and schedule for all three stages outlined below, so let's dig in.

Opening Stage Format & Schedule

It all begins with the Opening Stage, which runs from 30 November to 3 December 2024. Both the Opening and Elimination Stages are held at the Shanghai World Expo Exhibition & Convention Center in front of a live crowd.

Read More: Best Shanghai Major Opening Stage Pick'Em Challenge Team Choices

The squads are competing in a 16-Team Swiss System Format, where elimination and advancement matches are best-of-three, and all other matches are best-of-one, leaving little room for error.

We already know what the first matchups will be in the Opening Stage of the Shanghai Major. You can check them out below.

• FURIA vs. GamerLegion
• MIBR vs. Virtus.pro
• Team Liquid vs. Cloud9
• FlyQuest vs. Complexity
• Wildcard Gaming vs. fnatic
• Passion UA vs. BIG
• Rare Atom vs. The Mongolz
• Imperial vs. paiN Gaming

After the initial matchups, teams are matched based on results, and the goal is essentially to get three wins before three losses during this stage of competition. The top eight teams will move on to the Elimination stage. 

Elimination Stage Format & Schedule

The eight best teams from the Opening Stage join the eight directly qualified teams from the European RMRs from 5 to 8 December 2024 in the Elimination Stage.

Just like the Opening Stage, teams are competing in a 16-Team Swiss System Format, where elimination and advancement matches are best-of-three, and all other matches are best-of-one. 

Playoffs Stage Format & Schedule

The top eight teams from the Elimination Stage compete in a no-nonsense single-elimination bracket format. All matches in the Playoffs Stage of the Perfect World Shanghai Major are best-of-three, including the grand finale. We'll see the Playoffs Stage take place from 12 to 15 December 2024 at the Shanghai Oriental Sports Center.

Perfect World Shanghai Major Prize Pool Distribution

Apart from the glory of becoming a Major Championship winner, there's also a hefty prize pool of $1.25 million to compete for. Check out the prize pool distribution below.

• 1st place wins $500,000
• 2nd place wins $170,000
• 3rd & 4th place win $80,000 each.
• 5th to 8th place win $45,000 each.
• 9th to 16th place win $20,000 each.
• 17th to 24th place win $10,000 each.

How To Watch Perfect World Shanghai Major

CS2 esports fans can watch every second of the Shanghai Major main event action via the official PGL Twitch channel. For your viewing pleasure and convenience, we've embedded the Twitch channel below.

If you can't watch all the action live or just want to find out which teams progress through the stages, we'll have you covered throughout the event, from 30 November to 15 December 2024.

Read More: How To Get Shanghai Major 2024 Diamond Coin in CS2

Stay tuned to our esports section for all the latest news, updates, esports coverage, interviews, and more.