Counter-Strike Major history: every champion from 2013 to 2026
A complete history of the Counter-Strike Majors, the biggest tournaments in the game. 24 Majors have been played, 19 in CS:GO and 5 in Counter-Strike 2. For every one of them you will find the venue, prize pool, finalists with their line-ups, the final score, the MVP and the stories that made the event memorable. The most recent champion is Team Falcons, winners of IEM Cologne Major 2026.
A Major is a Valve-sponsored tournament run by a third-party organizer, and it is the event every professional player wants to win. Valve decides the rules and the qualification path; the organizer, from DreamHack and ESL to MLG, ELEAGUE, FACEIT, PGL, StarLadder, BLAST and Perfect World, builds the show. The format has changed a lot: the first Majors had sixteen teams and a GSL-style group stage, Atlanta 2017 introduced the Swiss system, Boston 2018 expanded the field to twenty-four teams, and since Austin 2025 thirty-two teams play three Swiss stages before an eight-team playoff. Prize pools grew from $250,000 in 2013 to $1,000,000 in 2016 and, after a brief $2,000,000 peak in 2021, settled at $1,250,000 in recent events.
Use this page as a map of the history of the game: from Fnatic’s Swedish dynasty and the French EnVyUs squad to the Brazilian era of Luminosity and SK, the Danish Astralis streak, the arrival of Natus Vincere and FaZe, the era of Vitality and, most recently, the first title for Falcons. Each Major has its own page with the full story.
The next Major
CS2 tournament schedule →PGL Major Singapore 2026: November 25 – December 13, 2026, Singapore. Prize pool $1,250,000. Played in Kallang, Singapore.
Dates come from the organizers and can change. The page will list the result once the event is over. Meanwhile, check the CS2 team rankings and the live CS2 streams.
All Majors
| # | Major | Where | Champion | Runner-up | Score | MVP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24 | IEM Cologne Major 2026 CS2 | Cologne, Germany | Team Falcons | FURIA Esports | 3–0 | m0NESY |
| 23 | StarLadder Budapest Major 2025 CS2 | Budapest, Hungary | Team Vitality | FaZe Clan | 3–1 | ZywOo |
| 22 | BLAST.tv Austin Major 2025 CS2 | Austin, United States | Team Vitality | The MongolZ | 2–1 | ZywOo |
| 21 | Perfect World Shanghai Major 2024 CS2 | Shanghai, China | Team Spirit | FaZe Clan | 2–1 | donk |
| 20 | PGL Major Copenhagen 2024 CS2 | Copenhagen, Denmark | Natus Vincere | FaZe Clan | 2–1 | jL |
| 19 | BLAST.tv Paris Major 2023 CS:GO | Paris, France | Team Vitality | GamerLegion | 2–0 | ZywOo |
| 18 | IEM Rio Major 2022 CS:GO | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | Outsiders (Virtus.pro) | Heroic | 2–0 | Jame |
| 17 | PGL Major Antwerp 2022 CS:GO | Antwerp, Belgium | FaZe Clan | Natus Vincere | 2–0 | rain |
| 16 | PGL Major Stockholm 2021 CS:GO | Stockholm, Sweden | Natus Vincere | G2 Esports | 2–0 | s1mple |
| 15 | StarLadder Berlin Major 2019 CS:GO | Berlin, Germany | Astralis | AVANGAR | 2–0 | dev1ce |
| 14 | IEM Katowice Major 2019 CS:GO | Katowice, Poland | Astralis | ENCE | 2–0 | – |
| 13 | FACEIT Major: London 2018 CS:GO | London, United Kingdom | Astralis | Natus Vincere | 2–0 | dev1ce |
| 12 | ELEAGUE Major: Boston 2018 CS:GO | Boston, United States | Cloud9 | FaZe Clan | 2–1 | tarik |
| 11 | PGL Major Kraków 2017 CS:GO | Kraków, Poland | Gambit Esports | Immortals | 2–1 | AdreN |
| 10 | ELEAGUE Major: Atlanta 2017 CS:GO | Atlanta, United States | Astralis | Virtus.pro | 2–1 | Kjaerbye |
| 9 | ESL One Cologne 2016 CS:GO | Cologne, Germany | SK Gaming | Team Liquid | 2–0 | coldzera |
| 8 | MLG Major Championship: Columbus 2016 CS:GO | Columbus, United States | Luminosity Gaming | Natus Vincere | 2–0 | coldzera |
| 7 | DreamHack Open Cluj-Napoca 2015 CS:GO | Cluj-Napoca, Romania | Team EnVyUs | Natus Vincere | 2–0 | kennyS |
| 6 | ESL One Cologne 2015 CS:GO | Cologne, Germany | Fnatic | Team EnVyUs | 2–0 | flusha |
| 5 | ESL One Katowice 2015 CS:GO | Katowice, Poland | Fnatic | Ninjas in Pyjamas | 2–1 | olofmeister |
| 4 | DreamHack Winter 2014 CS:GO | Jönköping, Sweden | Team LDLC.com | Ninjas in Pyjamas | 2–1 | Happy |
| 3 | ESL One Cologne 2014 CS:GO | Cologne, Germany | Ninjas in Pyjamas | Fnatic | 2–1 | friberg |
| 2 | ESL One Katowice 2014 CS:GO | Katowice, Poland | Virtus.pro | Ninjas in Pyjamas | 2–0 | – |
| 1 | DreamHack Winter 2013 CS:GO | Jönköping, Sweden | Fnatic | Ninjas in Pyjamas | 2–1 | JW |
Records and statistics
Major titles by team
| Team | Titles | Years |
|---|---|---|
| Astralis | 4 | 2017, 2018, 2019, 2019 |
| Fnatic | 3 | 2013, 2015, 2015 |
| Vitality | 3 | 2023, 2025, 2025 |
| Virtus.pro (Outsiders) | 2 | 2014, 2022 |
| EnVyUs (LDLC.com) | 2 | 2014, 2015 |
| Natus Vincere | 2 | 2021, 2024 |
| Ninjas in Pyjamas | 1 | 2014 |
| Luminosity Gaming | 1 | 2016 |
| SK Gaming | 1 | 2016 |
| Gambit Esports | 1 | 2017 |
| Cloud9 | 1 | 2018 |
| FaZe Clan | 1 | 2022 |
| Spirit | 1 | 2024 |
| Falcons | 1 | 2026 |
Players with more than one Major MVP
| Player | MVPs | Majors |
|---|---|---|
| ZywOo | 3 | BLAST.tv Paris Major 2023, BLAST.tv Austin Major 2025, StarLadder Budapest Major 2025 |
| coldzera | 2 | MLG Major Championship: Columbus 2016, ESL One Cologne 2016 |
| dev1ce | 2 | FACEIT Major: London 2018, StarLadder Berlin Major 2019 |
MVP is not recorded in every source for the earliest Majors, so the list only counts awards we could verify.
Major timeline
Keep exploring
See who plays for the best teams on the CS2 teams page, read about the stars on the CS2 players page, learn the terms in the esports and gaming glossary, find a tournament on the tournaments page, and understand what you are watching with our CS2 rating and ranks and map pool guides.
FAQ
Who has won the most Counter-Strike Majors?
Astralis has won the most Majors with 4: ELEAGUE Major: Atlanta 2017, FACEIT Major: London 2018, IEM Katowice Major 2019, StarLadder Berlin Major 2019. Fnatic and Vitality follow with three titles each, according to the results listed on this page.
Who won the latest Counter-Strike Major?
Team Falcons won the latest Major, IEM Cologne Major 2026, beating FURIA Esports 3–0 in the grand final on June 2–21, 2026.
When was the first Counter-Strike Major and when was the first CS2 Major?
The first CS:GO Major was DreamHack Winter 2013 in Jönköping, Sweden, won by Fnatic. The first Counter-Strike 2 Major was PGL Major Copenhagen 2024, won by Natus Vincere. It was the 20th Major overall.
How many teams play at a Major?
The first Majors had 16 teams. Boston 2018 expanded the field to 24 teams, and since the Austin Major in 2025 the field is 32 teams, played in three Swiss-system stages followed by an eight-team single-elimination playoff.
When is the next Major?
The next Major is PGL Major Singapore 2026 in Singapore, scheduled for November 25 – December 13, 2026, with a $1,250,000 prize pool. After that the schedule lists FiRe Major Buenos Aires 2027 (May 31 – June 20, 2027).
How reliable are the details on these pages?
Results, line-ups and dates come from event pages and news reports that we checked, and every Major page lists its sources at the bottom. Where sources disagree on exact days, the page shows the month only. If you spot a mistake, tell us through the contact page.
Oggo is independent and not affiliated with Valve or any tournament organizer. Facts are compiled from public event pages and news reports; see the sources at the bottom of each Major page.