Between 2013 and 2023, there were a total of 19 CS:GO Majors held by Valve. Becoming CS:GO Major winners is the end goal for every player, the main ambition for those looking to leave a legacy in the game.
The era of the CS:GO Major is over – it’s all about the CS2 Major winners now. Still, why not take a look down memory lane to see who became CS:GO Major winners and became a legend while they still had the opportunity?
| CS:GO Major Winners | |
|---|---|
| Year | Winners |
| 2013 | Fnatic |
| 2014 | Virtus.pro, Ninjas in Pyjamas, and LDLC |
| 2015 | Fnatic (x2) and EnVyUs |
| 2016 | Luminosity Gaming and SK Gaming |
| 2017 | Astralis and Gambit |
| 2018 | Cloud9 and Astralis |
| 2019 | Astralis (x2) |
| 2021 | NAVI |
| 2022 | FaZe Clan and Outsiders |
| 2023 | Team Vitality |
You can read on to find out the full history of all CS:GO Major winners from the old game!
Fnatic were the first to be crowned CS:GO Major winners by taking home the grand prize at DreamHack Winter 2013. There are some legendary names on this list, and it’s crazy to see what they’d go on to achieve. This first win was long before Counter-Strike esports was as big as it is today.
The Virtus.pro roster, affectionately dubbed the “Virtus Plow” by the community, are typically seen as being one of the best CS:GO teams of all time. The lineup that won EMS One Katowice 2014 is a “who’s who” of Polish CS legends, which is why it was only right they secured their legacy by becoming CS:GO Major winners on their second attempt.
ESL One Cologne 2014 was won by the dominant Ninjas in Pyjamas lineup that once went 87:0. After finishing runners-up of the previous two Major Finals, third time was the charm as they finally laid claim to their legacy as CS:GO Major winners. I’m glad they got this one – it would be hard to imagine them missing out.
DreamHack Winter 2014 was the first sign that French Counter-Strike was here to stay. LDLC were the victors, condemning Ninjas in Pyjamas to yet another painful second-place finish. While this was SmithZz nearing the end of his career after his legendary VeryGames stint, the rest would go on to star for years to come.
With three members of the 2013 CS:GO Major-winning Fnatic lineup still active, they were able to become the first team to win two Majors at ESL One Katowice 2015. They were joined by new additions olofmeister and KRIMZ, who would go on to become huge legends of the game in their own right.
Two times? How about three times? It’s Fnatic again, the same legendary line-up going back-to-back as CS:GO Major winners. This ESL One Cologne 2015 victory cemented their place in Counter-Strike history, and to this day remain only one of three rosters to retain their Major championship.
With three members of the previous CS:GO Major-winning LDLC lineup in tow, EnVyUs wrote another successful chapter in the story of French Counter-Strike at DreamHack Open Cluj-Napoca 2015. The two new members? Only two young talents named kennyS and apEX, both now truly legendary CS players.
2016 was the year of Brazil. Under the Luminosity Gaming banner, FalleN and his men were able to conquer the MLG Columbus Major 2016, with star rifler coldzera staking his claim as the number one player in the world, and perhaps one of the best CS:GO players ever. It was the start of a beautiful story for these CS:GO Major winners.
FalleN and co. went back-to-back, replicating Fnatic’s feat at ESL One Cologne 2016. This time, though, it was under the SK Gaming banner, but history will remember it as the same five Brazilian players writing an awesome legacy as two-time CS:GO Major winners. To this day, it remains the last time any Brazilian has won a CS Major.
ELEAGUE Major Atlanta 2017 wasn’t quite the start of the Astralis era, but it was a huge stepping stone towards this core shaking off the “chokers” narrative. At 18 years old, Kjaerbye became the youngest-ever CS:GO Major winner and MVP, a record that would stand for seven years before being broken by donk in CS2. This was Astralis’ breakthrough moment.
PGL Major Kraków 2017’s winner was a bit of a surprise package. Gambit were a solid team, but not one that should’ve been in “CS:GO Major winner” conversation. Within weeks of winning the Major in Kraków, Zeus broke up this lineup to return to NAVI. Wasted potential? Maybe.
Maybe the biggest surprise of all: Cloud9 at the ELEAGUE Boston Major 2018. North America’s only Major, on home soil to boot. You all know the story of the comeback against FaZe Clan in the Final – it might be the single most hyped Counter-Strike moment of all time. Legendary.
Now this is where the Astralis era started. Having replaced Kjaerbye with Magisk, Astralis unlocked a new level of greatness, beginning at the FACEIT Major London 2018. Their win in England was a sign that Danish CS was here to take over, and nothing would ever be the same again.
Astralis kicked off 2019 by retaining their Major title at IEM Katowice Major 2019. Becoming IEM Katowice winners and CS:GO Major winners in one fell swoop is no small feat, but they handled the pressure perfectly as they went back-to-back.
The first-ever back-to-back-to-back Major champions. The first-ever four-time CS:GO Major winners. It’s only Astralis again. This lineup is to this day the best team to ever play Counter-Strike, and never was their utter dominance more apparent than at the StarLadder Berlin Major 2019. Their win over AVANGAR in the Final was barely even competitive as Astralis romped to a fourth Major win.
Post-COVID, NAVI were the first CS:GO Major winners as the world got back on its feet. PGL Major Stockholm 2021 was just one win in a commanding year for NAVI, with trophies galore. This was the one they wanted above all else, though, with CS:GOAT s1mple getting his grand prize.
FaZe Clan had been competing at the top for years by the time it finally got its hands on a CS:GO Major trophy. It was karrigan who finally brought it home at PGL Major Antwerp 2022, he himself finally landing the trophy he had spent his long career chasing. This was a roster that fully deserved to be CS:GO Major winners.
Outsiders lived up to their name at the IEM Rio Major 2022. Competing under the name due to Virtus.pro being temporarily banned from events as a Russian organization, Outsiders were a huge underdog. It is the only trophy the team ever won together, even under the VP banner. What a time to peak, though.
Team Vitality were the final CS:GO Major winners ever, winning what some felt was an “easy” Major at the BLAST.tv Paris Major 2023. This was ZywOo’s crowning moment in CS:GO, before he continued his legacy further in CS2. This was another glorious moment for French Counter-Strike, one last hurrah before we ushered in the new game.
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