By Sagar V. Mankar 
Valve has officially updated the Counter-Strike 2 (CS2) rulebook, originally announced in July 2024. Titled “The CS Major Supplemental Rulebook,” the revised guidelines aim to provide tournament organizers with a clearer structure and ensure consistency across all Major events. The first tournament to adopt these new rules will be the BLAST.tv Austin Major, scheduled for April 2025.
Expanding the Playing Field
One of the most significant changes in the updated rulebook is the expansion of the team pool. CS2 Majors will now host 32 teams instead of the previous 24, with three distinct Swiss stages each having 16 teams leading up to the 8-team Single Elimination Bracket Playoffs.
How Teams Qualify for CS2 Majors
Valve has introduced three clear entry points for teams to qualify for a Major event:
- Stage 1: 16 teams qualify through Major Regional Qualifiers (MRQ).
- Stage 2: 8 teams earn spots based on Valve Regional Standings.
- Stage 3: 8 teams earn spots based on Valve Regional Standings.
These stages simplify the pathway to Major tournaments while maintaining regional representation and performance-based invitations.
Stage 1: The Replacement for RMRs
Stage 1 replaces the traditional Regional Major Rankings (RMRs). Instead of holding separate RMR tournaments for different regions, Valve has introduced a single 16-team Stage 1, with participants determined by results from the Major Regional Qualifiers (MRQs). While the MRQs resemble the former RMRs structurally, they bring a more streamlined approach to regional qualifiers.
Here’s how each region will operate under MRQs:
- Asia-Pacific: 8 teams will compete in two GSL-style groups, with 4 teams advancing to Stage 1.
- Europe: 16 teams will compete in a Swiss-style format, with 6 teams advancing to Stage 1.
- Americas: 16 teams will also compete in a Swiss-style format, with 6 teams advancing to Stage 1.
Teams will be invited to MRQs based on their Regional Standings. If all qualifier spots cannot be filled through standings, tournament organizers (TOs) may use open qualifiers to ensure fair competition.
In cases where regional latency (ping) becomes an issue, the Americas region might be split into North and South divisions, with Major slots evenly distributed. Valve has also noted that MRQ events could be held online if necessary.
Stage 2 and Stage 3: A Performance-Based System
The second and third stages follow a structured invitation system based on regional performance in previous Majors:
- Stage 2 Invitations: Allocated based on the number of teams from a region that reached Stage 3 in the previous Major.
- Stage 3 Invitations: Determined by the number of teams from a region that advanced to the Playoffs in the previous Major.
This system ensures that regions performing well in past tournaments are appropriately rewarded with more invitations in subsequent Majors.
For example, looking at the results from the Perfect World Shanghai Major held in late 2024:
- Since, the 0 Asian teams, 4 NA teams (FURIA, Pain, MIBR, Wildcard), and 4 European teams (3DMAX, BIG, GamerLegion, NAVI) advanced to the Elimination Stage at the Perfect World Shanghai Major, so their regions will get the same number of Stage 2 invites.
- Similarly, apart from the 8 teams mentioned above, 1 Asian team (The MongolZ), 1 NA team (Liquid), and 6 EU teams (FaZe, MOUZ, Heroic, Spirit, G2, Vitality) reached the playoffs, their regions will get the same number of Stage 3 invites.
These results directly influence how the invitations for the upcoming BLAST.tv Austin Major are distributed.
Looking Ahead to the BLAST.tv Austin Major
The BLAST.tv Austin Major in April 2025 will serve as the launchpad for these updated rules. Fans, players, and organizers will closely watch how these changes affect team performance, regional representation, and the overall tournament experience.
Source: Valve’s Official Major Supplemental Rulebook Update, 2025.