What Is a CS2 Major?
Quick facts
- Majors per year: 2
- Teams: 32
- Prize pool: $1,250,000
- How teams get in: invited by the Valve Regional Standings (VRS)
- Format: three Swiss stages, then an 8-team playoff
- Next Major: PGL Major Singapore 2026, November 25 to December 13
Why Majors matter more than other events
Organizers like ESL, BLAST and PGL run tournaments all year, and some have bigger prize pools than a Major. What makes a Major special is that Valve sponsors it and puts its name on it. It has the longest history (the first was in 2013), the biggest audience and a unique reward: fans can buy in-game stickers of the teams and players, and part of that revenue goes to them.
Valve chooses a different organizer and city for each Major, so the event moves around the world.
How teams qualify
Since the StarLadder Budapest Major in late 2025, all 32 teams are invited directly based on the Valve Regional Standings (VRS), Valve's official team ranking. There are no separate qualifier tournaments any more.
Each region (Europe, the Americas and Asia) gets a set number of places. The higher a team ranks, the later it enters:
| Stage | Who enters there |
|---|---|
| Stage 1 | 16 teams ranked lowest among the invited |
| Stage 2 | 8 teams from Stage 1 + 8 higher-ranked teams |
| Stage 3 | 8 teams from Stage 2 + the 8 top-ranked teams |
| Playoffs | the best 8 teams from Stage 3 |
The format
The first three stages use the Swiss system: teams with the same record play each other, 3 wins take a team through and 3 losses knock it out. Matches that decide who advances or goes home are best of three; most others are best of one.
The final eight teams play a single-elimination playoff: quarterfinals and semifinals are BO3, and the grand final is BO5. More on the formats in BO1 vs BO3 vs BO5.
All maps come from the seven-map Active Duty pool as it stood when the event started.
Every CS2 Major so far
| Major | Date | Winner |
|---|---|---|
| IEM Cologne Major | June 2026 | Team Falcons (3-0 vs FURIA) |
| StarLadder Budapest Major | December 2025 | Team Vitality |
| BLAST.tv Austin Major | June 2025 | Team Vitality |
| Perfect World Shanghai Major | December 2024 | Team Spirit |
| PGL Major Copenhagen | March 2024 | Natus Vincere |
Before CS2 launched in 2023, there were 19 Majors in CS:GO. IEM Cologne 2026 was the fifth CS2 Major and the 24th Counter-Strike Major overall.
The next Major: Singapore 2026
The PGL Major Singapore 2026 runs from November 25 to December 13, 2026. It is the first Major ever held in Southeast Asia. The schedule and teams will be on the tournaments page as soon as the invites are confirmed, and each match page will carry its official stream.
- BO31WIN
ESL Pro LeagueTier A - BO3Vitality
vsPARIVISION
ESL Pro LeagueTier A - BO3FURIA
vsMOUZ
ESL Pro LeagueTier A - BO3Team Falcons
vsSpirit
How to watch
Majors are streamed free on the organizer's official Twitch and YouTube channels, usually with broadcasts in many languages. See Where to Watch CS2 Tournaments.
FAQ
What is a Major in CS2?
A Major is a Counter-Strike tournament sponsored by Valve. It is the most prestigious title in the game, with 32 teams and a $1.25 million prize pool.
How many Majors are there per year?
Two: one in the first half of the year and one in the second half.
How do teams qualify for a CS2 Major?
Since late 2025, all 32 teams are invited based on the Valve Regional Standings (VRS). Higher-ranked teams skip the early stages.
When is the next CS2 Major?
The PGL Major Singapore 2026 runs from November 25 to December 13, 2026. It is the first Major in Southeast Asia.
Related guides
BO1 vs BO3 vs BO5: Match Formats in CS2BO1 is one map, BO3 is first to two maps, BO5 is first to three. What each CS2 format means, where tournaments use them and why upsets happen more in BO1.
Valve Regional Standings (VRS) ExplainedVRS is Valve's official CS2 team ranking that decides Major invites and seeding. What it measures, how it updates and how it differs from other rankings.
Where to Watch CS2 Tournaments: Official StreamsPro CS2 streams free on the organizers' Twitch and YouTube channels. Where to find official broadcasts, other languages and the stream for any match.
CS2 Map Pool: Current Active Duty Maps and Every ChangeThe current CS2 Active Duty pool: Ancient, Anubis, Cache, Dust2, Inferno, Mirage and Nuke. Cache replaced Overpass in July 2026. Every change since launch.
Veto (map veto)The veto is the pick and ban process before a CS2 series: teams remove and choose maps from the 7-map pool. Bans, picks and the decider in a few lines.
Sources
Reviewed by the R1GG team