Hang on to your hats, Counter-Strike 2 (CS2) esports fans! The Opening Stage of the second-ever CS2 Major Championship has finished, and this weekend (technically Thursday), the Elimination Stage is set to begin, so here's what you need to know.

Just like the Opening Stage, the Elimination Stage features a 16 Team Swiss System format, with the top eight teams moving on to the Playoffs. There are 16 teams competing, including the eight directly qualified teams, and eight that have made it past the first stage of competition.

The Elimination Stage of the Perfect World Shanghai Major runs from 5 to 8 December 2024, where the top eight teams will advance to the Playoffs.

• G2 Esports
• NAVI
• Team Vitality
• MOUZ
• FaZe Clan
• Team Spirit
• HEROIC
• 3DMax
• The MongolZ
• Team Liquid
• paiN Gaming
• FURIA Esports
• GamerLegion
• MIBR
• BIG
• Wildcard gaming

Unfortunately for fans of South African CS, Complexity Gaming, which contains Johnny "JT" Theodosiou from South Africa and coach Tiaan "T.c" Coertzen, has been eliminated during the Opening Stage. We will, however, see Aran "Sonic" Groesbeek with Wildcard Gaming compete in the Elimination Stage.

You can watch all the Perfect World Shanghai Major main event matches via the PGL Twitch channel. Stay tuned, as we’ll bring you the results throughout the next few weeks.

Header image via Perfect World.