With a new era of Counter-Strike almost upon us, the esports scene is preparing for a fresh start. Tournament organizers such as PGL, ESL, and BLAST, have received a request from Valve for CS2 Major proposals for 2025 and 2026.
The BLAST.tv Paris Major 2023 saw CS:GO out with a bang. Credit: Michał Konkol | © BLAST
Date Changes to CS2 Majors?
As well as this, it has been confirmed that the dates for upcoming CS2 Majors have changed. The plan currently is to stick with two Majors a year. However, they’ll now take place in June and December respectively. Currently, Majors alternate on a May to November timeline, but the change could have big implications for the competitive scene.
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Here are the dates currently penciled in for CS2 Majors in 2025 and 2026:
2025
June 9th – 22nd
December 1st – 14th
2026
June 8th – 21st
November 30th – December 13th
These changes mean that CS2 Majors will now take place at the end of the player seasons, as opposed to just prior. This allows teams to build their strength throughout the season, before making one final push on the biggest stage of all.
While the response to the change has been generally positive, Vitality CS:GO IGL apEX has been critical on Twitter:
It remains to be seen if these date changes are set in stone. Once the proposals from the tournament organizers become clearer, then we’ll likely know more about any further date changes.
Valve’s Proposal
Valve’s proposal for the requirements of any potential CS2 Major is outlined as follows:
We typically prioritize events that take place in regions where a TO has previously held successful events. Additionally, it is helpful to identify backup venues in case travel restrictions or other complications make the original location inaccessible.
As with previous Major Championships, our primary goal is to identify an event that will provide the greatest entertainment value to existing CS2 customers, so please be specific when describing services or features of your event.
Note that in general we do not weigh heavily any features that are untested, new, or in-development. If you are proposing novel features for your event, consider providing additional detail explaining how those features will be developed and tested, and what alternatives you’ll consider if they cannot be executed as planned.
The vast majority of spectators for your event will be viewing games through streams. Your proposal should include a distribution plan including the expected streaming platforms, languages available, schedule, etc.
The event should be time zone convenient for a significant proportion of CS2 customers (the game has two prime-times, one at 16:00 CET and one at 21:00 CET).
To allow us to properly evaluate your proposal, please include a link to footage of events you have run recently that are of comparable production quality to the event you are proposing.
For both the Major and RMRs, Valve will provide support for the prize pool and players’ travel and accommodation.
It has already been revealed that PGL Major Copenhagen 2024 will be the first Major played on CS2, the first held by the tournament organizer since 2021. The last time one of ESL, PGL, or BLAST didn’t host a Major was in 2019, with StarLadder. It will be interesting to see if this prompts any new or dormant organizers to enter the scene to propose a new structure to the CS2 Major.
The proposal itself offers no real hints about a potential location for CS2 Majors. The timezones of 16:00 CET and 21:00 CET would work for both European and American locations, although it does likely rule out an Asian or Oceania CS2 Major. Hopefully, we’re not waiting too long for Valve to reveal what the esports scene has in store for us in the coming years.
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