Image: Perfect World Esports
Only eight teams remain in the running for the second Counter-Strike 2 Major championship.
The Counter-Strike 2 (CS2) Perfect World Shanghai Major 2024 Elimination Stage concluded on Sunday (December 8) with 
MOUZ, 
HEROIC, and 
FaZe Clan surviving the fifth and final round of this stage to claim the final three spots in the Playoffs. As a result, 
MIBR, defending Major champions
Natus Vincere (NAVI), and 
FURIA Esports have been knocked out in 9th-11th place.
MOUZ, HEROIC, and FaZe will be joining 
The MongolZ, 
Team Vitality, 
G2 Esports, 
Team Liquid, and 
Team Spirit in the Shanghai Major Playoffs, which will be hosted at the Shanghai Oriental Sports Center from December 12 to 15.
Here's how all the action in the final day of the Shanghai Major Elimination Stage went down:
MOUZ, HEROIC, and FaZe claim final three spots in Shanghai Major Playoffs
The final day of the Shanghai Major Elimination Stage kicked off with the first of three round five Advancement Matches between MOUZ and MIBR. MOUZ soundly swept MIBR in Mirage (13-5) and Nuke (13-6) and became the sixth team to advance to the Playoffs behind a stellar showing from 
Ludvig “Brollan” Brolin, who finished the series with 38 total frags and eight assists on 19 deaths.
The second series of the day was a dramatic showdown between HEROIC and NAVI. HEROIC were hungry to qualify for their first CS2 Major Playoffs while a struggling NAVI squad were desperate to advance in order to defend the inaugural CS2 Major championship they won from the PGL Major Copenhagen 2024 back in March.
HEROIC entered the series with guns blazing and curbstomped NAVI in Mirage, 13-3, to put the defending Major champions on the ropes. However, NAVI managed to bounce back with a dominant 13-5 win in Nuke to send the series to a decider.
NAVI looked Playoff-bound early in game three at Ancient, where they built a 5-1 lead as the CT side. But HEROIC rallied with a 5-1 run of their own as the decider went into the second half with both teams in a 6-6 deadlock.
HEROIC carried their momentum even after the side switch as they won three-straight rounds to go up 9-6, only for NAVI to answer with their own three-round run to force another tie at 9-9. However, HEROIC could not be denied as they racked off four-straight rounds to secure the 2-1 series victory and deny NAVI a spot in the Shanghai Major Playoffs.
The day then closed with FaZe taking on FURIA, a clash that featured two legends of the game in FaZe's 
Finn “karrigan” Andersen and 
Gabriel “FalleN” Toledo.
FalleN and FURIA would strike first, stealing FaZe's map pick at Inferno with a comfortable 13-6 score. In game two at Dust II, FURIA looked like they could sweep the series as they ended the first half with a 7-5 lead. However, karrigan was able to rally his troops in the second half to give FaZe the 13-9 win.
The final map of the Shanghai Major Elimination Stage would be Mirage, where FaZe absolutely dominated the first half as the T side to enter halftime with a commanding 10-2 lead. FaZe then reached series point in round 14, only for FalleN to galvanize FURIA into winning 10-straight rounds in an effort to force overtime. But despite FURIA's best efforts, karrigan and FaZe still closed out the series in round 23 and claim the final Playoff spot in the Shanghai Major.
With the conclusion of the Elimination Stage, the Shanghai Major will go on a three-day break before competition resumes in the Playoffs on December 12. The Shanghai Major Playoffs will follow a single-elimination format where all matches, including the grand finals, will be a best-of-three. Here are the matchups for the Shanghai Major Playoff quarterfinals:
- The MongolZ vs MOUZ
- Team Liquid vs Team Spirit
- G2 Esports vs HEROIC
- Team Vitality vs FaZe Clan
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.
