When Is The Next CS Major?

CS Majors are basically Counter-Strike tournaments that are held twice per year and are considered to be the very pinnacle of competitive play in the CS esports calendar. These events feature the very best teams from all around the world who compete for a massive prize pool and, of course, the chance to etch their names in CS history.

Here are all the future and ongoing events, including the next Major tournaments:

Ongoing Events June 2024

• Aorus League Brazil 2024 Season 1
  • Jun 27th – Jun 28th
• United21 League South America Season 1
  • Jun 26th – Jul 3rd
• Skyesports Championship 2024 India Closed Qualifier
  • Jun 27th – Jun 29th

July 2024

• ANATY Invitational Salzburg 2024 Finals
  • Jun 29th – Austria, Salzburg
• Dust2 India 1xBet Masters 11
  • TBA – Online, India | Jun 30th
• Esports World Cup 2024
  • Jul 17th – Jul 21st – Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
• Skyesports Championship 2024
  • Jul 23rd – Jul 28th – Mumbai, India
• BLAST Premier Fall Groups 2024
  • Jul 29th – Aug 4th – Copenhagen, Denmark
• CBCS Season 5
  • Jul 8th – Jul 14th – Online, South America
• 5E Arena Asia Cup Fall 2024 – BLAST Premier Qualifier
  • Jul 11th – Jul 13th – Online, Asia
• CCT Season 2 Europe Series 6
  • Jul 15th – Jul 28th – Online, Europe
• ESL Challenger League Season 48
  • Jul 15th – Oct 20th
    • South America, North America, Europe – Online
• Ace South American Masters Fall 2024 – BLAST Premier Qualifier
  • Jul 18th – Jul 21st – Online, South America

August 2024

• IEM Cologne 2024 Play-in
  • Aug 7th – Aug 9th – Cologne, Germany
• IEM Cologne 2024
  • Aug 10th – Aug 18th – Cologne, Germany
• BLAST Premier Fall Showdown 2024
  • Aug 21st – Aug 25th – TBA
• Perfect World Shanghai Major 2024 RMR Open and Closed Qualifiers
  • Various dates – Online, Middle East, South Africa, Europe, China, Oceania, Asia
• ESL Impact League Season 6
  • Aug 28th – Oct 20th
    • North America, South America, Europe – Online

September 2024

• ESL Pro League Season 20
  • Sep 3rd – Sep 22nd – Malta
• BLAST Premier Fall Final 2024
  • Sep 25th – Sep 29th – Copenhagen, Denmark

October 2024

• ESL Challenger Atlanta 2024
  • Oct 4th – Oct 6th – Atlanta, GA, US
• IEM Rio 2024
  • Oct 7th – Oct 13th – Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
• Thunderpick World Championship 2024
  • Oct 1st – Oct 20th – Online, Europe
• Elisa Masters Espoo 2024
  • Oct 16th – Oct 20th – Espoo, Finland
• RES Regional Champions 2024
  • Oct 16th – Oct 19th – Belgrade, Serbia

November 2024

• Perfect World Shanghai Major 2024 RMR Events
  • Nov 11th – Nov 24th – Shanghai, China
• BLAST Premier World Final 2024
  • Nov 13th – Nov 17th – TBA
• ESL Challenger Katowice 2024
  • Nov 22nd – Nov 24th – Katowice, Poland
• IESF World Championship 2024
  • Nov 11th – Nov 19th – Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
• ESL Impact League Season 6 Finals
  • Nov 22nd – Nov 24th – Stockholm, Sweden

December 2024

• Perfect World Shanghai Major 2024
  • Dec 5th – Dec 15th – Shanghai, China

January 2025

• HLTV Awards 2024
  • Jan 11th – Belgrade, Serbia
• BLAST Bounty Season 1
  • Jan 13th – Jan 18th – Online, Europe
• BLAST Bounty Season 1 Finals
  • Jan 24th – Jan 26th – Copenhagen, Denmark

March 2025

• BLAST Open Lisbon 2025
  • Mar 17th – Mar 23rd – Lisbon, Portugal
• BLAST Open Lisbon 2025 Finals
  • Mar 28th – Mar 30th – Lisbon, Portugal

April 2025

• BLAST Rivals Season 1
  • Apr 28th – May 4th – TBA

June 2025

• BLAST.tv Austin Major 2025
  • Jun 9th – Jun 22nd – Austin, TX, US

August 2025

• BLAST Bounty Season 2
  • Aug 4th – Aug 9th – Online, Europe
• BLAST Bounty Season 2 Finals
  • Aug 15th – Aug 17th – Copenhagen, Denmark
• BLAST Open London 2025
  • Aug 25th – Aug 31st – London, United Kingdom

September 2025

• BLAST Open London 2025 Finals
  • Sep 5th – Sep 7th – London, United Kingdom

November 2025

• BLAST Rivals Season 2
  • Nov 10th – Nov 16th – TBA

History of CS Majors

The first CS Major Championship took place all the way back in 2013 and was called the DreamHack Winter 2013… where Fnatic emerged as the very first champions. The early Majors, unsurprisingly, were very much dominated by Scandinavian changes, but since then, it has become much more popular around the globe.

These days, the Majors have become a huge part of the CS competitive scene – with all sorts of tournaments hosted every year. In the beginning, there were three Majors per year, but in recent years, Valve has decided to scale this back to two Majors per year.

So, as a team, how would you qualify for this world-class tournament? Well, it will come as little surprise that qualifying for CS Majors involves a rigorous process that has been carefully designed to make sure that only the very best teams compete in these prestigious tournaments.

Generally, teams qualify through several stages:

1. Regional Qualifiers: First, the teams have to compete in regional tournaments that are specific to their geographical area (such as North America, Europe, Asia, etc.). These qualifiers can vary in format, but they’ll normally involve online matches leading to the LAN finals.
2. RMR Points: Teams will start earning Regional Major Ranking (RMR) points by taking part – and performing well in the designated RMR events held throughout the year. RMR points will determine the eligibility for Major tournaments.
3. Last Chance Qualifiers: Some Majors also offer Last Chance Qualifiers for those teams that have narrowly missed out on direct qualification. These qualifiers give teams one final opportunity to get themselves a spot in the Major.
4. Direct Invitations: In very rare cases, teams could receive a direct invitation based on an exceptional performance, previous Major results, or various other special considerations.

Ultimately, qualifying for a Major will require performing at the highest level consistently, strategic planning, and the ability to be able to adapt across various tournament formats. Teams will have to beat off seriously fierce competition and show off their skills and resilience if they want to get themselves a coveted spot in the game’s most prestigious events.

CS Majors are usually played across several different stages.

Challengers Stage

First, we have the Challengers Stage, which is often referred to as the Opening Stage, and kicks off with 16 teams who compete in a Swiss system format. Matches here, excluding elimination and advancement deciders, will be played as best-of-ones (bo1s). However, the most important matches will be contested as best-of-threes (bo3s).

Those teams who manage to secure a top-eight finish will go ahead and move on to the Legends Stage, meanwhile the bottom eight teams will be eliminated, securing their placements from 17th to 24th.

Legends Stage

The Legends Stage – group stage, includes the top eight teams from the Challengers Stage, alongside eight teams – known as Legends, who are those who placed in the top eight of the previous Major. Here, the format very much mirrors that of the Challengers Stage, with bo1 matches determining the initial outcomes and bo3 matches deciding whether teams move to the next stage – or are eliminated.

The top eight teams from this stage – the group winners and runners up, will then progress to the Champions Stage or Playoff Stage, while the unsuccessful teams will have to settle for rankings from 9th to 16th.

Champions Stage – Playoffs

The Champions Stage or Playoff Stage is the very pinnacle of the Major tournament. It features the top eight teams from the Legends Stage and will determine the ultimate champion of the Major. The format of this one changes to a single-elimination bracket, where the winners of each matchup will move forward – until a champion is finally crowned.

The Counter-Strike Majors Prize Pool

CS Majors can pay out some seriously big prizes, usually over $1 million. The prize pool is contributed to by Valve and various other sponsors – but is also supplemented by revenue that has come from in-game purchases of stickers and capsules that featuring team logos.

Over the years, there have been some CS Majors that have stood out thanks to either very memorable moments, upsets, or incredible performances:

• ESL One: Katowice 2015: Fnatic dominated the tournament – and solidified their status as one of the greatest-ever CS teams.
• ESL One: Cologne 2016: SK Gaming had a very emotional victory in front of their home crowd – which marked their rise to the highest echelons of the CS scene.
• ELEAGUE Major: Atlanta 2017: This tournament saw Astralis’ breakthrough victory – which was the beginning of their era of Counter-Strike dominance.
• FACEIT Major: London 2018: Astralis dominated the event – and solidified their legacy as one of the greatest CS teams in history.

CS Majors aren’t just for Counter-Strike players and fans – they actually have a massive impact on the entire sports industry:

• A Global Audience: The Majors attract millions of viewers from all over the world – and the biggest matches can attract more than 1 million fans tuning into the action.
• Player Recognition: Winning a Major is a seismic event for players and teams, earning them the reputation of being top players and getting them even more respect and recognition in the CS community.
• Sponsorship and Investment: The success of CS Majors has attracted sponsorship deals from big brands and serious investment in the various CS esports organizations. This money can have a massive impact on the world of eSports.

CS Majors are the absolute pinnacle of competitive gaming in the Counter-Strike community, showcasing the very best gameplay and the most exciting players. There could be monumental upsets and many thrilling moments.

As it keeps on getting ever more popular with people from across the globe – and more players get involved, you can expect even more exciting Majors in the future. Whether you’re a serious CS fan or new to the world of CS esports, these tournaments are a real celebration of skill, strategy, and teamwork in gaming.

Stay tuned for updates on the next CS Major, and – whether you are playing or watching, have fun!