Image: Perfect World Esports
The MongolZ made history as the first-ever Asian team to qualify for the Top 8 of a Counter-Strike Major.
Mongolia's 
The MongolZ and France's 
Team Vitality became the first two teams to qualify for the Counter-Strike 2 (CS2) Perfect World Shanghai Major 2024 Playoffs after securing crucial victories in the third round Advancement Matches of the tournament's Elimination Stage on Friday (December 6).
Meanwhile, 
BIG from Germany and 
Wildcard Gaming from North America have been knocked out of the Elimination Stage after going winless through the first three rounds.
Here's how all the action in day two of the CS2 Perfect World Shanghai Major Elimination Stage went down:
MongolZ, Vitality first to qualify for Shanghai Major Playoffs
The MongolZ made history as the first-ever Asian team to qualify for the Top 8 of a Counter-Strike Major after securing a crucial victory in their third round Advancement Match over 
HEROIC. After cruising through the Opening Stage, MongolZ caught fire to start the Elimination Stage with an upset over 
G2 Esports in round one before taking down 
MOUZ in round two.
However, HEROIC would hand the MongolZ their first map loss of the Shanghai Major in a 13-8 rout in Mirage. In map two at Anubis, the Mongolian squad looked to force the series to a decider by ending the first half with a 9-3 lead as the CT side. HEROIC then pulled off a 9-3 run in the second half to force game two into overtime.
HEROIC led the map for the first time at 14-13, but the MongolZ managed to regain their momentum to tie things up at 15-15 and force a second overtime period. A perfect 3-0 run on the CT side then gave the MongolZ a commanding 18-15 lead, but HEROIC managed to answer with two straight round wins. It looked like HEROIC could force the map into a third overtime period, but the MongolZ managed to clutch round 37 to claim the 19-17 win in Anubis and force a game three.
The MongolZ then carried their momentum from Anubis into the decider at Ancient, where they finished the first half with a 8-4 lead. They then scored four straight wins to get within series point at 12-4 after round 16. HEROIC could only manage two more rounds before the MongolZ claimed a spot in the Playoffs in round 19.
Meanwhile, Vitality completed a perfect run through the Elimination Stage by soundly sweeping 
MIBR in Mirage (13-3) and Anubis (13-5). With zero map losses dating back to the Shanghai Major's European Regional Major Ranking (RMR) A event, Vitality are the only tournament favourites to have performed as expected.
In stark contrast, 
Natus Vincere (NAVI) have been struggling mightily. While they had a strong start to the Elimination Stage with a victory over 
Team Liquid in round one, they have been left reeling by an unexpected loss to MIBR in round two. NAVI's shaky form couldn't have come at a worse time as their round three matchup ended up being rivals 
Team Spirit, who absolutely stomped them in Mirage (13-2) to improve to a 2-1 record.
G2 Esports, Team Liquid, and 
FaZe Clan also headed into round four of the Elimination Stage with a 2-1 record after defeating 
3DMAX, 
FURIA Esports, and MOUZ, respectively.
Finally, BIG and Wildcard were knocked out of the Shanghai Major after falling to 
GamerLegion and 
paiN Gaming in the round three Elimination Matches. BIG and Wildcard bow out of the tournament in 15th-16th place and with $20,000 in consolation.
The CS2 Perfect World Shanghai Major is the second-ever Major Championship for CS2, and will feature 24 of the best teams from all across the globe gunning for the lion's share of a $1.25 million prize pool, as well as the prestigious right to be called CS2 Major champions. The tournament is split into three distinct stages: the Opening Stage from November 30 to December 3, the Elimination Stage from December 5 to 8, and the Playoff Stage from December 12 to 15.
For everything you need to know about the CS2 Perfect World Shanghai Major, check here.
