Counter-Strike is one of the most prominent esports disciplines, and its majors are the pinnacle of competition for teams and players from all over the world. From the first CS:GO Major in 2013 to the latest triumphs in CS2, these tournaments have given fans unforgettable moments, heroic comebacks, and exceptional individual achievements. In this article, we have collected all the champions and MVPs of the majors from the beginning of the CS:GO era to the current CS2 to honor those who have made the history of the game.
DreamHack Winter 2013 — Fnatic, JW
The first CS:GO Major was different from our current one. Old-timers from CS 1.6 reluctantly switched to the new version of the game, which was far from perfect. Until today since then, only four clubs have remained in CS:GO: NAVI, NIP, Complexity, and Fnatic. The last one became the champion of the first Major, and the title of MVP went to Jesper JW Veksel. He, as well as many other Swedes, started the domination of the Swedish scene.
ESL Major Series One Katowice 2014 — Virtus.pro, pashaBiceps
Poles from Virtus.pro, including the legendary Yarosław pashaBiceps Jazombkowski, a loved one of the CS:GO community, made a strong statement at the first major, where stickers cost dozens of thousands of dollars. He came to the major in Paris on a bicycle from Poland to support his compatriots.
ESL One: Cologne 2014 — NIP, friberg
ESL Cologne 2014 was remembered that NIP, the record holder for the largest win streak at LAN tournaments, took first place at the major, having been to the previous two finals. The MVP then became Adam friberg Friberg, who played on the pro stage until 2022.
DreamHack Winter 2014 — LDLC, Happy
Following the Poles and Swedes, the French representatives from LDLC, including Richard shox Papillon, Fabien kioShiMa Fieux, and Nathan NBK Schmitt, added their nicknames to esports history. But the main star of the tournament was Vincent Happy Schopenhauer, one of the best lurkers in CS:GO for the entire game's existence.
ESL One: Katowice 2015 — Fnatic, olofmeister
Only two years have passed, and CS:GO got the first organization to take the "gold" of the major twice. On the other hand, NIP became a finalist for the fourth time, having already lost the third match for the title.
ESL One: Cologne 2015 — Fnatic, flusha
At ESL Cologne 2015, the organizers changed the usual group stage format with four GSL groups for the first time, reducing their number to two but dividing the stage into two parts. Fnatic became the champions again.
DreamHack Open Cluj-Napoca 2015 — Envy, kennyS
MLG Major Championship: Columbus 2016 — Luminosity, coldzera
In CS 1.6, Brazilians were one of the strongest esports nations, but in Global Offensive, the country failed to succeed. And that time, NAVI opposed them with Ladyslav GuardiaN Kovac, who were considered favorites. Until the very final, they were unbitable. But, in the main bo3, the Ukrainian club was defeated.
ESL One: Cologne 2016 — SK, coldzera
The same Brazilian team took the "gold" again but under the banner of the other club: SK Gaming. And what a highlight Marcelo coldzera Davyd gave us, having the honor of graffiti on Mirage! That time, in the finals, s1mple, the future best player of the decade, became the victim of coldzera, and Marcelo himself became the two-time MVP of a major for the first time.
ELEAGUE Major Atlanta 2017 — Astralis, Kjaerbye
PGL Major Krakow 2017 — Gambit, AdreN
The Krakow Major of 2017 had the most unpredictable outcome because Gambit won it with Daniil Zeus Teslenko, who, although they won several tier-2 tournaments then, could hardly compare with the giants of that time. Ultimately, Daniil avenges NAVI for kicking him out of the club, proving he is a capable captain, no matter what anyone says.
ELEAGUE Major Boston 2018 — Cloud9, tarik
The most embarrassing defeat in the major's final can be the failure of FaZe Clan (which won many big tournaments during that period) in the fight against Cloud9. The unfortunate Inferno decisive map prevented GuardiaN from winning at least one Major in his career. On the other hand, after years, North America also won the most prestigious CS:GO competition.
Also, starting at EL Boston 2018, the Swiss system with the Challengers and Legends stage was fully established.
FACEIT Major: London 2018 — Astralis, device
Astralis' victory in the final of FACEIT Major: London 2018 over Natus Vincere officially made the Danish team the best in the world: in terms of titles and level of performance. Nykola device Rydtz was the best player of the major in London. At FACEIT Major: London 2018, the Danes from Astralis consolidated their leadership on the professional CS:GO scene, which lasted for several more years.
IEM Katowice Major 2019 — Astralis, Magisk
At IEM Katowice Major 2019, Astralis became the champion again. Lukas gla1ve Rossander's team seemed to walk through the opponents at the tournament. The final against ENCE was no exception, in which Astralis confidently won 2:0 (16:11 on Train and 16:4 on Inferno). Emil Magisk Raif earned the title of MVP in this Major.
StarLadder Berlin Major 2019 — Astralis, device
Who knows how many majors the legendary Danish roster would have won if the coronavirus pandemic had not hit next year? The victory in Berlin was the last outstanding achievement of Astralis for many years to come. The best player of the championship was once again device, who would later leave the club to return...
PGL Major Stockholm 2021 — NAVI, s1mple
NAVI and Olexander s1mple Kostyliev, one of the world's best players in the game's history, still needed to manage to win the coveted major. Before Stockholm, the organization made it to the finals three times but usually failed there. But 2021 was a turning point: the arrival of Valery b1t Vakhovsky simply transformed the team, and the team won tournament after tournament, becoming the champion of the major and the Intel Grand Slam. The main highlight of the final was a miss by Nikola NiKo Kovac from Desert Eagle on match point.
PGL Major Antwerp 2022 — FaZe, rain
The arena was packed with fans ready to enjoy the PGL Major Antwerp 2022 final between NAVI and FaZe. Both teams demonstrated the closest possible performance on both maps, but in the end, the team of Finn Karrigan Andersen was stronger. The players gave the audience unforgettable emotions, and in return, the crowd of fans supported the teams with all their might. The best player in the competition was Howard Rain Nygard.
IEM Rio Major 2022 - Outsiders, Jame
The story of Outsiders in Rio is very similar to the story of Gambit in Krakow. Very few expected the triumph of this tag, but CS:GO can give some surprises. By the way, this was the first and so far the only time South America, or Brazil, hosted a Major. There were questions about the behavior of the fans, but mostly the crowd was enthusiastic and created a great atmosphere.
BLAST.tv Paris Major 2023 — Vitality, ZywOo
As predicted by many, Team Vitality became the champion of the major in Paris. Dan apEX Madeskler’s team won the opponent's pick without any problems, but they had to sweat for their choice. After losing the first half with a score of 5:10, Vitality made a comeback and won - 16:13. Mathieu ZywOo Erbo led his team to the championship throughout the tournament and deservedly received the MVP award. You can read more about it here.
PGL Major Copenhagen 2024 — NAVI, jL
NAVI triumphed at the PGL Major Copenhagen 2024, defeating FaZe in the final with a score of 2:1. Justinas “jL” Lekavicius became the hero of this championship, finishing the tournament with a rating of 6.7. The Lithuanian player demonstrated the best individual performance at Inferno against FaZe in the decisive match, where he finished with a rating of 8.8, leaving his opponents no chance.
Also worth highlighting is jL's confident play in the playoffs, where he became a key factor in the victory over G2 and Eternal Fire, leading his team to the grand final. This major was the biggest achievement in Justinas' career, and his contribution to NAVI's victory deservedly earned him the title of tournament MVP.
Perfect World Shanghai Major 2024 — Spirit, donk
Team Spirit triumphed at the Perfect World Shanghai Major 2024, and Danil “donk” Kryshkovets became the main star of the tournament, receiving the sixth MVP award in his career. The 17-year-old player set a major record for the number of aces with four, surpassing the result of Flamie from IEM Katowice 2019.
donk also equaled s1mple in terms of the number of aces at the Big Events and finished the tournament with a 7.5 rating, dealing 101.36 damage per round. His contribution was key in the semifinals against MOUZ and the final against FaZe Clan, where Spirit won 2-1. This victory cemented donk's status as the brightest young talent on the global CS2 scene.
In this article, we traced the history of the majors, from the first CS:GO tournament in 2013 to the modern CS2 era. From legendary teams like Fnatic and Astralis to outstanding individual talents like s1mple, dev1ce, and donk, these champions and MVPs have become symbols of the highest skill in Counter-Strike. Their achievements have not only changed the esports scene, but have also been etched in the memories of millions of fans around the world.
Counter-Strike continues to evolve, and we can only guess what new names will appear on the list of champions in future majors. But one thing remains the same — these tournaments will always be a celebration for players and fans alike, celebrating the best of the best on the global stage.
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