Vitality, FURIA, NAVI, and Team Spirit are all sitting out the CS Asia Championships 2026. Four of the top five teams in the VRS Global rankings won’t be in Shanghai, and the reason is obvious. The IEM Cologne Major kicks off June 2, barely a week after CAC ends. No one with a Major invite on the line is flying to China for a side quest.

Perfect World confirmed the full 16-team lineup for the $1,000,000 event, running May 19โ€“24 in Shanghai.

The Full Lineup

VRS Global Invites (14 teams):

  • PARIVISION
  • Falcons
  • MOUZ
  • Aurora
  • The MongolZ
  • Liquid
  • B8
  • 3DMAX
  • Legacy
  • NRG
  • paiN
  • M80
  • BC.Game Esports
  • MIBR

Asia Closed Qualifier (2 teams):

  • TYLOO
  • Lynn Vision

s1mple Returns to a Big Stage

The headliner is BC.Game Esports. s1mple and electroNic are bringing their rebuilt roster with former SAW core MUTiRiS, krazy, and aragornN to a $1M LAN without Vitality or FURIA waiting in the bracket. This team has been a mess in 2026. They dropped out of the top 30 in the VRS after a rough Roman Imperium Cup. But Shanghai is a different animal. No top-four gauntlet means BC.Game actually has a path to deep playoffs, and s1mple on a big stage with something to prove is never boring.

Falcons enter as the highest-ranked team in attendance. NiKo, m0NESY, kyousuke: that’s enough firepower to take the whole thing. MOUZ are right behind them. Both squads know this is a golden opportunity with the usual killers absent.

Format and Prize Pool

GSL groups, two pools of eight. Openers are BO1, everything else BO3. Top three from each group advance to a single-elimination playoff bracket. Grand final is BO5, plus a third-place decider.

The $1,000,000 splits between player share and club share. First place takes $150,000 in player prize money plus $250,000 for the organization.

VRS Stakes Are Real

For teams clawing their way up the VRS standings before the Cologne Major cutoff, this is one of the last shots at serious points. Liquid, B8, and 3DMAX are all in the mix. A deep run in Shanghai is the difference between a direct Major invite and grinding through qualifiers.