THE FINALS is preparing for its biggest esports event so far, The Grand Major 2025, taking place at DreamHack Stockholm at the end of November. THE FINALS isn’t your ordinary competitive title, and with it comes no ordinary tournament format.
Here’s everything you need to know about THE FINALS The Grand Major 2025, including format, schedule, and how to watch it.
THE FINALS The Grand Major 2025 schedule
The road to The Grand Major plans to be an eventful one, with Open Qualifiers kicking off as early as August 2025. Some of the exact dates are still unknown, and we’ll update the article accordingly once more information is revealed.
In the meantime, here are the key dates to look forward to:
- Registration: Aug. 14
- Open Qualifiers: Aug. 30 and Sept. 6.
- Closed Qualifiers: N/A
- The Grand Major: Nov. 28 – Nov. 29
If you plan on participating in the tournament, make sure to read the official esports rulebooks by Embark Studios.
THE FINALS The Grand Major 2025 format
Open Qualifiers
The tournament takes place across three regions (NA, EMEA, and APAC), and it all starts with the Open Qualifiers. During the seeding rounds, teams play three best-of-three heats in a 3v3 Final Round game mode. Next is a single-elimination bracket based on seeding results, with the top eight teams advancing to Closed Qualifiers.
There are two Open Qualifiers events across NA and EMEA. This gives a chance to 16 total teams per region to enter the Closed Qualifiers.
The format in APAC may slightly differ, as it’s handled by Nexon and Tencent.
Closed Qualifiers
The Closed Qualifiers feature a hybrid elimination format with two modes: Cashout (3v3v3v3) and Final Round (3v3), just like regular THE FINALS matches. The stage starts with four Cashout games. In each game, two teams advance to the Final Round, and the winning team secures the spot at The Grand Major.
The teams that lost the initial Cashout match play another round of Cashout and Final Rounds until four teams remain. In the second stage, the four teams that lost the Final Round for The Grand Major spot in the first stage will face off against the four teams from the losers’ bracket.
The top seven teams from NA, the top six teams from EMEA, and the top three teams from APAC will secure their spots for The Grand Major.
The Grand Major
The first day of The Grand Major follows the same hybrid elimination format, except the teams are now fighting for a chance to advance to the second day. Out of 16 teams, only eight will make it to day two, where the format shifts.
At the beginning of the second day, the eight teams filter down to the last four. The final four teams will keep playing against each other in Cashout and best-of-two Final Round modes, with each victory in the Final Round awarding one point. The first team to reach five points wins The Grand Major.
How to watch THE FINALS The Grand Major 2025
The broadcast events start with the closed qualifiers that also introduce the hybrid elimination format. More details regarding the official broadcasts and their schedule will come at a later date, and we’ll update the piece accordingly.
As Oscar Lundberg mentioned in the community update, you can also expect ways to support your favorite teams and in-game bundles and items, providing a view into esports for every contestant in the Arena.
