Valve shifts 2025 and 2026 CS2 Majors' dates to season's end, seeking offers from TOs

After the recent announcement of a solo CSGO Major in 2023 followed by the CS2 PGL Copenhagen Major in 2024, Valve is now inviting bids from Tournament organizers (TOs) to host the CS2 Majors in 2025 and 2026. TOs also have the opportunity to submit multiple bids, increasing their chances of winning the right to host more than one Major tournament.

Valve plans to continue the tradition of hosting two Majors annually. However, they have made a significant alteration to the traditional scheduling. The previous major dates, typically set in May and November, have been postponed to June and December, respectively. The new dates for the Majors are as follows:

2025
June 9 - 22
December 1 - 14

2026
June 8 - 21
November 30 – December 13

Apart from the alteration in the major tournament dates, no other changes have been implemented to the existing procedure. The process of qualifying for the Regional Major Ranking (RMR) and subsequently competing in the Major remains unchanged. TOs are still required to follow Valve's supplemental rulebook, but they are now allowed to provide their feedback, potentially allowing for improvements and adjustments to enhance the overall competitive experience.

The points of consideration from Valve are:

• 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 on 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.