Update from August 11, 14:30 CEST: Perfect World has announced an updated list of participants for the CS Asia Championships 2025, adding the latest invitations for MIBR and returning to the original slot allocation scheme. This is the second adjustment to the tournament's “Additional Information” since its announcement in April, with only two months left until the start.

The changes also affected the qualifiers: instead of two qualifying spots for China, the organizers completely removed this quota — one was given to Brazil, and the other will go to the winner of the Asian qualifier from four subregions (China, East Asia, Oceania, and others). Previously, the nine invited teams were selected based on the July VRS ranking, but an exception was made for FaZe in agreement with Valve, as former CAC champions.

Original news:

Perfect World Esports has officially announced the first 9 participants of the CS Asia Championships 2025, which will take place from October 14 to 19 in Shanghai. Seven more teams will qualify through regional events. The total prize pool is $1,000,000.

This year, the tournament has been classified as a tier-2 event, meaning teams ranked in the top 12 of the VRS cannot be invited. However, FaZe received a direct invite as champions of a previous CAC tournament.

First 9 Confirmed Teams
FaZe Clan
Team Liquid
Virtus.pro
paiN Gaming
B8
3DMAX
Legacy
TyLoo

Lynn Vision
The remaining 7 spots will be decided through regional qualifiers:

4 from Europe
1 from the Americas
2 from China
Perfect World Esports
Perfect World Esports
Tournament Format

Group Stage (October 14–16): 16 teams will be split into two groups of 8, competing in a double-elimination format.

Group winners advance directly to the semifinals
2nd and 3rd place finishers advance to the quarterfinals
Playoffs (October 17–19): The playoff stage will feature a single-elimination bracket:

All matches up to the final will be BO3
The Grand Final will be BO5

Prize Pool Breakdown
$600,000 – team rewards
$400,000 – player bonuses
$1,000,000 – total prize pool
Regional Qualifiers
Europe (4 slots)

Registration: August 4–9
Matches: August 10–11
Platform: Esportal
Americas (1 slot)

Registration: August 11–15
Matches: August 16–17
Platform: Esportal
China (2 slots)

Registration: September 12–18
Matches: September 19–21
Platform: PWA

What to Expect?
CS Asia Championships 2025 is shaping up to be one of the biggest tier-2 events of the fall, featuring a mix of international contenders and regional stars. Shanghai will once again host an elite-level CS event, giving emerging teams a chance to shine and prove they’re ready to compete at the highest level.