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May 20, 2026 | Anders Frost

CS Asia Championships 2026

Competitive Counter-Strike returns to Shanghai! Perfect World brings together 16 of the world's premier CS2 rosters for the highly anticipated CS Asia Championships (CAC) 2026.

Competitive Counter-Strike returns to Shanghai! Perfect World brings together 16 of the world’s premier CS2 rosters for the highly anticipated CS Asia Championships (CAC) 2026. With top international titans colliding against the best of the Asian region, teams will battle it out for international glory and a $150,000 first-place cash prize.

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CS Asia Championships 2026

Game: Counter-Strike 2 (CS2)

Organizer: Perfect World

Dates: May 20th – May 24th, 2026

Location: Shanghai, China (Offline)

Prize Pool: $1,000,000 (Total Value) / $400,000 (Player Share)

Tier: S-Tier

Participating Teams

The 16-team lineup consists of 14 global powerhouse invites based on Valve’s Regional Standings (VRS) and 2 regional qualifiers who survived the brutal Asian Closed Qualifiers.

The full list can be found below:

πŸ‡·πŸ‡Ί PARIVISION

πŸ‡ͺπŸ‡Ί Falcons

πŸ‡ͺπŸ‡Ί MOUZ

πŸ‡©πŸ‡° Ninjas in Pyjamas*

πŸ‡²πŸ‡³ The MongolZ

πŸ‡ΊπŸ‡Έ Liquid

πŸ‡ΊπŸ‡¦ B8

πŸ‡«πŸ‡· 3DMAX

πŸ‡§πŸ‡· Legacy

πŸ‡ΊπŸ‡Έ NRG

πŸ‡§πŸ‡· paiN

πŸ‡ΊπŸ‡Έ M80

πŸ‡΅πŸ‡Ή BC.Game

πŸ‡§πŸ‡· MIBR

πŸ‡¨πŸ‡³ Lynn Vision

πŸ‡¨πŸ‡³ TYLOO

* NIP has replaced Aurora, who had visa issues.

Opening day schedule: May 20, 2026

All times are in CEST

TimeMatchupGroup
05:00Legacy vs. NRGGroup A
05:00MOUZ vs. TYLOOGroup A
06:00Falcons vs. BC.GameGroup A
06:00paiN vs. M80Group A
07:003DMAX vs. MIBRGroup B
07:00PARIVISION vs. LiquidGroup B
08:00The MongolZ vs. Lynn VisionGroup B
08:00B8 vs. Ninjas in PyjamasGroup B

Tournament Format

Group Stage (May 20 – 22, 2026):

  • Format: Two double-elimination format (GSL) groups of eight teams each.
  • Match Length: Opening matches are Best-of-1 (Bo1). All subsequent matches are Best-of-3 (Bo3).
  • Advancement: The top three teams from each group advance to the Playoffs.
    • Group Stage Winners: Advance directly to the Semifinals.
    • Group Stage Runners-up: Advance to the Quarterfinals (High Seeds).
    • Group Stage 3rd Place: Advance to the Quarterfinals (Low Seeds).

Playoffs (May 23 – 24, 2026):

  • Format: Single-Elimination bracket.
  • Match Length: Quarterfinals and Semifinals are Best-of-3 (Bo3).
  • Grand Final: Best-of-5 (Bo5) showdown to crown the champion.

Prize Distribution ($400,000 Player Pool)

  • 1st Place: $150,000
  • 2nd Place: $70,000
  • 3rd Place: $60,000
  • 4th Place: $40,000
  • 5th – 6th Place: $20,000
  • 7th – 8th Place: $10,000
  • 9th – 12th Place: $4,000
  • 13th – 16th Place: $1,000

(Note: An additional $600,000 Club Share is distributed among the participating organizations depending on placement).

Schedule & Results

(Matches and brackets will be updated live as the tournament progresses. Check back on May 19th for Group Stage opening matches!)

Group Stage (May 20-22):

  • Group A Opening Matches – TBD
  • Group B Opening Matches – TBD

Playoffs (May 23-24):

  • Quarterfinals: May 23
  • Semifinals: May 24
  • Grand Final: May 24
Author

Anders Frost

Read more about me

A lifelong gamer with 21 years on Steam, first introduced to Counter-Strike in 1.6 but truly hooked by CS:GO. Loves the idea of playing AWP - just not quite skilled enough to pull it off. Outside the server, a journalist with 14 years of experience covering both traditional sports and esports.

Read more about me