Perfect World has announced the initial matchups for the Opening Stage of the Shanghai Major. These pairings were established based on the Valve Regional Standings (VRS) update from November 25, which also identified the eight teams that advance directly to the Elimination Stage.
Set to kick off on November 30, the Opening Stage will consist of a five-round Swiss format with a best-of-three structure exclusively for the matches that determine advancement and elimination. The leading eight teams will move on to the Elimination Stage, whereas the eight teams with the lowest performance will be eliminated.
The seeding method was based on the outcomes of the last Major, with each region allocated particular seeds reflecting the performance of its teams in Copenhagen. Subsequently, the 24 teams were ranked according to their VRS standings.
This explains why, for instance, The MongolZ are placed 15th in the seeding despite their fifth-place world ranking by Valve, and why Virtus.pro has a higher seed (10th) than both Liquid and Complexity, despite being ranked lower than those two North American teams.
The opening round of the tournament promises to deliver intense competition with three exciting intra-regional matchups. One of the highlights will be a rematch between BIG and Passion UA, rekindling their fierce battle from the Europe RMR 2-0 pool. In another intriguing clash, the formidable MongolZ will face off against the resilient Rare Atom, while paiN is set to challenge Imperial in what promises to be a thrilling contest. Each of these matchups is sure to showcase the skill and determination of the teams involved.
Perfect World Announcement
Teams List
- FURIA
- Virtus.pro
- Liquid
- Complexity
- BIG
- Fnatic
- TheMongolZ
- paiN
- GamerLegion
- MIBR
- Cloud9
- FlyQuest
- Passion UA
- Wildcard
- Rare Atom
- Imperial Esports
Opening Matches Schedule
November 30
- FURIA vs. GamerLegion and Virtus.pro vs MIBR starting at 04:00 CET
- Liquid vs. Cloud9 and Complexity vs. FlyQuest starting at 05:00 CET
- BIG vs. Passion UA and fnatic vs. Wildcard starting at 06:00 CET
- TheMongolZ vs. Rare Atom and paiN vs. Imperial starting at 07:00 CET
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