40,000+ players sign up for Shanghai Major China Open Qualifier

The next big Major cycle has officially kicked off with the European RMR Closed Qualifiers beginning this morning. North American fans will need to wait until Monday for their teams to get in on the action, but one region is outshining everyone else.

Several open qualifiers are held in Asia for teams from Africa, the Middle East, Southeast Asia, China, and beyond. The Chinese Open Qualifier is of particular interest due to the staggering number of registered teams.

According to Liquipedia, 8,643 teams have signed up for the open qualifier, which is more than 40,000 players.

All those teams compete for five spots to enter the Chinese Closed Qualifier alongside TYLOO, Rare Atom, and CatEvil. Only one team from that closed qualifier will make it to the Asian RMR.

The record of 8,643 teams smashes the last record for most teams to enter the Major Open Qualifier, which the Chinese also held. During the run up to the 2024 PGL Copenhagen Major, 3,186 teams registered through the regional open qualifier.