Teams that advanced to the RMR and closed qualifiers for the Perfect World Shanghai Major

farmskins

The second half of the 2024 tournament season is just getting started, but fans are already excited for the upcoming RMR (Regional Major Rankings) qualifiers and the year’s second Major — the Perfect World Shanghai Major. This tournament marks the first time Valve will use a new ranking system to distribute direct invitations. Additionally, Valve has eliminated open qualifiers for the first time in Counter-Strike history, a decision that has sparked significant controversy within the community. This change means that teams that haven't earned enough points throughout the season won't have the opportunity to compete, and casual players will no longer have the chance to test their skills at the highest level of esports.

Despite the backlash, only teams that received direct invitations to the RMR or closed qualifiers will have the opportunity to compete at the Perfect World Shanghai Major 2024. The final ranking update was released on August 6, and we now know which teams will be vying for a spot in this season's biggest championship. In this article, we’ll explore which teams have secured their places in the RMR and which will need to fight through the challenging closed qualifiers.

RMR Invitations

European RMR:

• Aurora Gaming

• Astralis

• Fnatic

• Eternal Fire

• HEROIC

• 3DMAX

• Virtus.pro

• Natus Vincere

• Team Spirit

• MOUZ

• Ninjas in Pyjamas

• FaZe Clan

• BetBoom Team

• Falcons

• Team Vitality

• G2 Esports

The European RMR invitations were largely as expected, with the top teams from the region securing their spots. The only question was whether Aurora Gaming, which was ranked 17th, would make it, as only the top 16 teams receive invitations. However, thanks to Team Liquid's decision to compete in the less competitive North American region, Aurora Gaming managed to secure a spot in the RMR.

American RMR:

• Imperial

• Team Liquid

• 9z

• FURIA

• M80

• Complexity

• paiN

• MIBR

In North America, the slots went to the teams that were expected to qualify. These teams regularly compete in international tournaments and are clearly stronger than their regional counterparts.

Asia-Pacific RMR:

• Lynn Vision

• The MongolZ

• FlyQuest

The Asia-Pacific region was allocated just three slots for the RMR, which is justified given the region's lower competitiveness on the global stage. The invitations for The MongolZ and FlyQuest were expected, as these teams are currently competing at IEM Cologne 2024, while Lynn Vision has also participated in major tournaments in the past.

Closed Qualifier Invitations for the RMR at the Perfect World Shanghai Major 2024

European RMR:

• 1win

• Rebels Gaming

• UNiTY

• OG

• Monte

• SINNERS

• Zero Tenacity

• Nemiga

• BLEED

• SAW

• Dynamo Eclot

• Insilio

• Johnny Speeds

• Rhyno Esports

• Cloud9

• Sangal

• B8

• BC.Game

• SINNERS

• ENCE

• Enterprise

• BIG

• TSM

• PARIVISION

• 9Pandas

• Permitta

• Passion UA

• ex-Pera Esports

• KOI

• AMKAL

• ARCRED

The closed qualifiers for the European RMR are shaping up to be much more interesting than the direct invitations. Here, we’ll see the participation of CS2 teams suspected of cheating and match-fixing, such as Johnny Speeds, Zero Tenacity, Permitta, and ex-Pera Esports.

Cloud9’s situation is particularly puzzling. To qualify for the RMR, teams must have played at least ten matches to be ranked by Valve, but Cloud9 only played six. How they managed to secure an invite to the closed qualifiers remains unclear, although there are rumors that they may have brought back Ilya "Perfecto" Zalutskiy and registered Timofey "interz" Yakushin as a stand-in.

The biggest controversy, however, surrounds the invitation of BC.Game, despite the recent ban of their player Joel "joel" Holmlund by the Akros anti-cheat system. While joel's guilt has yet to be fully proven, he has already been suspended from the team, and anti-cheat representatives have stated that there will be no unban. The community is left questioning why a team that earned points with a cheater in their lineup received an invitation to these crucial qualifiers, but no answers have been provided.

American RMR:

North American Qualifier

• ex-Limitless

• NRG

• Wildcard

• Party Astronauts

• FLUFFY AIMERS

• Take Flyte

• BOSS

• Homyno

• LAG Gaming

• Elevate

• Phoenix

• Mythic

• Legacy

• E-Xolos LAZER

• Nouns

• Limitless

South American Qualifier

• BESTIA

• Case Esports

• Galorys

• Fluxo

• inSanitY

• KRÜ Esports

• ODDIK

• RED Canids

• Team Solid

• Dusty Roots

• Bounty Hunters Esports

• Intense Game

• Hype Esports

• Vikings KR

• Sharks

• w7m esports

The qualifiers for the American RMR are split between North and South America. Notable participants include NRG, featuring Nick "nitr0" Cannella returning from Valorant, Mythic with Ryan "freakazoid" Abadir, and RED Canids, led by Marcelo "coldzera" David.

Asia-Pacific RMR:

Oceanic Qualifier:

• Rooster

• Mindfreak

• Bad News Kangaroos

• KZG

Chinese Qualifier:

• CatEvil

• Rare Atom

• TYLOO

East Asian Qualifier:

• GR Gaming

• Chinggis Warriors

• Akimbo Esports

• ATOX Esports

Southeast Asian Qualifier:

• True Rippers

• Gods Reign

Middle Eastern Qualifier:

• NOM Esports

The Asia-Pacific region is the only one where open qualifiers are still being held. This region also has the most qualifying events — five in total. Notable teams include TYLOO, who have disappeared from the tier-1 scene and lost key players, as well as Rare Atom and True Rippers, who were involved in the controversial Skyesports Championship 2024.

Conclusion

The closed qualifiers in August are just the beginning of the road to the Perfect World Shanghai Major 2024, with the main events taking place in November at the RMR tournaments. However, it’s already worth keeping an eye on the teams in these qualifiers, as one of them could emerge as the champion of the Perfect World Shanghai Major 2024.