MIBR handed final invite to CS Asia Championship 2025 after slot reshuffle

August 12, 2025 — MIBR have received the tenth and final direct invite to the CS Asia Championship 2025 in Shanghai (October 14–19), following another update to the event’s slot allocation by tournament organiser Perfect World. 

The latest change adds a 10th invite and removes one of China’s qualifier berths; the freed slot goes to an Asia qualifier that will funnel teams from four sub-regions (China, East Asia, Oceania, and “Others”). The adjustment marks the second revision to the event’s “Additional Information” since it was announced, a process that has drawn scrutiny because Valve’s Tournament Operating Requirements say invite dates for tier-two events must come at least 30 days after Additional Information is set. 

The $1,000,000 LAN remains set for October 14–19 in Shanghai. According to the event page, the prize money is structured as $400,000 for teams and $600,000 for organisations. 

Who’s in

With MIBR completing the invite list, the 10 directly invited teams are: FaZe (added via a Valve-approved former-champion wildcard), Virtus.pro, Liquid, Legacy, B8, 3DMAX, paiN, TYLOO, Lynn Vision, and MIBR. 

Four teams have already qualified from Europe — fnatic, HEROIC, GamerLegion, and FUT — leaving two spots to be decided via the Americas and Asia qualifiers. The Americas open qualifier is scheduled for August 16–17. 

The backdrop

Perfect World initially unveiled nine invites based on July’s VRS ranking, a move critics argued conflicted with the TOR timeline; after further community pushback — including public comments from Complexity GM Graham “messioso” Pitt — the organiser expanded the invite count and confirmed MIBR as the last team in. 

Bottom line: MIBR join a 16-team field at CAC 2025 where 14 participants are now locked (10 invites + 4 EU qualifiers). Only the Americas and Asia qualifier winners remain to complete the bracket for October’s $1m Shanghai LAN. 

Here are verified facts & useful context you can append to your piece:

• Field & latest slot tweak. CAC 2025 features 16 teams. After a fresh adjustment, invites rose to 10, China lost its qualifier berths, and one extra berth now comes from a consolidated Asia qualifier spanning China, East Asia, Oceania, and “Others.” 

• Confirmed teams (as of Aug 12). Invited: FaZe, Virtus.pro, Liquid, Legacy, B8, 3DMAX, paiN, TYLOO, Lynn Vision, MIBR. EU qualifiers: fnatic, HEROIC, GamerLegion, FUT. Two spots remain (Americas & Asia qualifiers). 

• Prize pool split & VRS date. Total purse is $1,000,000 with $400k to players / $600k to orgs; the event is ranked, with the VRS date set to July 7, 2025. 

• Format. Groups run Oct 14–16 in two GSL groups (all Bo3). The top three from each group reach playoffs (winners to semis; runners-up as high seeds; third places as low seeds). 

• Map pool note. The listed map pool for CAC 2025 includes Train alongside Dust2, Mirage, Inferno, Nuke, Overpass, and Ancient. 

• Scheduling wrinkle. CAC 2025 (Oct 14–19, Shanghai) overlaps with Thunderpick World Championship 2025 (Oct 15–19, Malta), which could affect team attendance/coverage. 

• FaZe exception explained. Although CAC is a tier-2 event, FaZe received a Valve-approved exception (as a former CAC champion) to be invited despite VRS eligibility constraints. 

• Rulebook & criticism. Valve’s Tournament Operating Requirements say invites for tier-2 events must be ≥30 days after “Additional Information.” Complexity GM Graham “messioso” Pitt publicly criticized Perfect World for changing slot allocation without updating the VRS invite date; he also urged Valve to step in. 

• Historical tie-in. FaZe won the CS Asia Championships 2023 in Shanghai, which helps explain the “former champion” exception now.