The Counter-Strike Main Championships is among the greatest skilled Esports tournaments on this planet, so in case you’re to study extra about this annual occasion, which is often known as the ‘Majors,’ you’ve come to the correct place.
On this web page, we might be taking a more in-depth have a look at the historical past of the match, its format, among the most notable groups and gamers, and the general influence the Majors has on the Esports business.
What are the Counter-Strike Main Championships (aka the Majors)
The Counter-Strike Main Championships, or the Majors, no matter you favor, is a collection of official skilled Esports tournaments the place professional avid gamers battle it out in entrance of a stay viewers to change into the undisputed champion of the vastly profitable multiplayer tactical first-person shooter online game Counter-Strike: World Offensive 2.
One factor to notice is that the Counter-Strike: World Offensive recreation is the fourth instalment within the Counter-Strike collection. It was performed on the Majors till 2023, when Counter-Strike: World Offensive 2 was launched. Since 2024, CS-GO 2 has been the sport individuals play on the Majors.
Each video games are often shortened/abbreviated to seem as CS:GO/CS:GO 2. Valve and Hidden Path Leisure developed these hit titles, and Valve sponsors the Majors tournaments.
The Majors competitors is extensively considered certainly one of Esports most prestigious occasions, the place groups compete to win substantial money prizes and trophies, cement their names within the historical past books, and declare severe bragging rights.
A quick historical past of the Majors
The primary-ever Counter-Strike Main Championships competitors was held in 2013 in Jönköping, Sweden. It was organized/hosted by the notable ESL (previously referred to as Digital Sports activities League) gaming model DreamHack.
The primary ‘Main’ is taken into account by many to be the Cyberathlete Skilled League Winter Championship, which occurred in 2001, adopted by a number of different CS:GO-themed Esports tournaments, such because the CPL Summer time and Winter Championships, the Intel Excessive Masters World Championships, the Digital Sports activities World Cup, and the World Cyber Video games.
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Nonetheless, regardless of the broader gaming neighborhood contemplating them to be the primary true CS:GO-themed eSports tournaments, they weren’t formally endorsed by the creators of the sport, Valve.
A complete of 16 groups competed within the first official occasion, and every took dwelling a share of the US$250,000 prize pool. From 2013 to 2017, simply 16 groups had been current on the Majors, after which from 2018 to the current day, 24 groups are current at every last.
Annually, the Majors are held at a unique venue in a unique nation, with the newest one happening in Copenhagen, Denmark, in March 2024. The winners this 12 months had been crew Natus Vincere, who beat FaZe Clan 2-1 within the last.
The 2024 CS:GO Majors competitors was one of the vital fashionable Esports betting occasions on right now’s most trusted on-line sports activities betting websites.
It was additionally one of many most-viewed eSports tournaments in historical past relating to stay audiences and those that watched the motion unfold by way of a stay streaming platform, equivalent to Twitch, Steam.television, and YouTube (official companions), with roughly 1.8 million tuning in.
Match Format
Since 2013, after DreamHack’s CS:GO eSports match, the format has modified a number of instances. The highest eight groups from every Main (so those that ended up making it to the ultimate playoff stage of the match) achieve computerized entrance into the following Majors, and they’re known as Legends.
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The Main Levels use a seeding system to resolve which groups play towards one another and guarantee evenly-matched battles. Every crew should win a minimum of three out of 5 video games to progress previous the preliminary Challengers Stage.
The opposite eight match locations are reserved for the winners of regional qualifying tournaments, primarily from North America and Europe. These groups who win the primary qualifier go to the following stage of the playoffs, and the winners of those occasions go to the finals, referred to as the Legends Stage.
Notable groups and gamers
Probably the most profitable Esports crew within the Majors’ historical past is crew Astralis. They’ve received on 4 separate events (Atlanta – 2017, London – 2018, Katowice – 2019, and Berlin – 2019). Natus Vincere additionally received in Stockholm in 2021, and this 12 months’s runners-up, FaZe Clan, received at Antwerp in 2022.
One of the crucial notable gamers is Denmark’s ‘Dupreeh,’ who has received the Majors 5 instances with two completely different groups. Listed below are some fast info about probably the most well-known Majors gamers ever:
Participant: Dupreeh. Nationality: Danish. Majors titles: 5. Groups: Astralis and Crew Vitality
Participant: dev1ce. Nationality: Danish. Majors titles: 4. Groups: Astralis
Participant: Dupreeh. Nationality: Danish. Majors last occasions attended: 19.
Nation with probably the most medals: Denmark. Winner: 23. Runner Up: 8. Semi-finalist: 37. Whole: 68
HLTV Main MVP Awards 2024. Participant: jL. Nation: Lithuania. Crew: Natus Vincere. Main: PGL Copenhagen 2024.
Probably the most profitable nation on the Majors is Denmark, adopted by Russia, Sweden, america, and Brazil, and participant ‘dupreeh’ is probably the most well-known Majors participant.
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What sort of influence has the Majors had on the Esports business?
The Counter-Strike Main Championships have significantly impacted the Esports business’s international profile.
Occasions just like the Majors have helped convey skilled video gaming into the mainstream, altering preconceived notions of individuals enjoying video video games competitively and breaking down stereotypes.
The cities that host skilled Esports tournaments have an inflow of vacationers to the world, which helps enhance the native financial system. In actual fact, some research have advised that host cities can generate as much as $100 million over a decade.
Travelling vacationers who go to observe stay eSports occasions spend cash on lodging, journey, food and drinks whereas they’re within the host metropolis. Cities would miss out on this extra revenue with out tournaments just like the Majors.
Remaining ideas
As extra individuals change into concerned in Esports tournaments, sponsorship offers change into extra profitable, the match prize swimming pools improve and promoting campaigns additionally get larger.
The general influence of the Majors and different related Esports tournaments is vastly optimistic for each native and international economies, and over the approaching years, the Esports business is anticipated to proceed rising.
Qualifiers for the following upcoming Majors are already underway, and among the greatest Counter-Striker 2 Esports tournaments you may nonetheless look ahead to in 2024 are the CCT Season 1 World Finals, the Players Membership Liga Série A: Might 2024, and the NA Revival Cup, to call a number of.