Astralis suffered a defeat in the crucial match of the European RMR event for the Shanghai Major 2024, falling short against Passion UA. The series concluded with a 0:2 scoreline in favor of the Ukrainian team, with Inferno ending 9:13 and Ancient 11:13.
This marks the fourth consecutive Major that Astralis has missed. Their absence dates back to the Antwerp tournament in 2022. Notably, the team entered the RMR competition without their star player Nikolai 'dev1ce' Reedtz, who is on a medical hiatus until the end of the year. Furthermore, with dupreeh and Magisk also notably absent, this marks the first Major where none of the classic Astralis lineup graces the competitive stage.
On the other hand, Passion UA secures their first qualification for a Major event. The team, backed by footballer Oleksandr Zinchenko, has an unexpected roster with Rodion 'Fear' Smyk and coach Mykhailo 'Kane' Blaghin as the notable figures. Zinchenko, known for his love of CS2, even made a brief appearance as an emergency stand-in for the squad at one point.
The PW Shanghai Major 2024 is scheduled to take place from November 30 to December 15, offering a significant prize pool of $1.25 million, with the champions set to claim $500k. For further details on the qualified teams, refer to the list provided below.
