Asian Major qualifiers have once again found themselves at the center of a scandal. Teams from Oceania were effectively cut off from the qualification process because the qualifiers were held on a closed Chinese platform with no English-language announcement. As a result, the region was left without a representative, and the slot went to a completely different team.
Chinese partners
The situation became possible after BLAST fully delegated the organization of Asian qualifiers to their Chinese partners, 5EPlay. The qualifiers were conducted on an internal platform, and all information about registration and deadlines was published exclusively in Chinese on a local website.
For most teams from Oceania, this meant one thing: they simply did not know that the qualifiers even existed. Some organizations learned about the qualifiers only after they had already concluded.
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A closed system, an open outcome
Due to the absence of participants from Oceania, the organizers declared the Oceania stage void. Instead of an open qualification slot, it was reclassified into a regional ranking-based invite. As a result, the spot originally reserved for Oceania was awarded to The Huns.
Formally, no rules were broken. In practice, however, an entire subregion was left without a chance to fight for a Major not because of a lack of skill, but due to complete informational isolation.
Reaction from Oceania
The loudest response came from SemperFi, who directly accused the Asian side of systematically pushing out Oceania teams. According to them, the situation looks like an attempt to ensure that only “true Asian teams” qualify for the Major through the Asian region, without outside competition.
The main complaint is not about the outcome, but about the process. When qualifiers are held on a closed platform without English-language communication, it automatically excludes all teams that are not part of the Chinese ecosystem.
What this means for the scene
This case exposes a systemic problem within the Asian region in Counter-Strike. Formally, Asia and Oceania are grouped together, but in practice access to qualifiers is controlled by local partners who are not interested in broad competition. Under such conditions, “open qualifiers” cease to be open in essence.
If this practice becomes entrenched, Oceania risks turning into a region with no real path to the Major — regardless of the teams’ actual level.
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Competitive balance
The qualification story demonstrates how administrative decisions can affect competitive balance more strongly than gameplay on the server. By handing full control over Asia to Chinese partners, BLAST effectively stripped Oceania teams of the opportunity to fight for a slot. The question now is not who received the invite, but whether the system will change before the next Major — and whether Oceania will be able to return to the game at all.
