CS GO Major Winners

The CS:GO Major Championships represent the pinnacle of competitive Counter-Strike, where the world’s elite teams battle for prestigious titles and million-dollar prize pools.

Since Valve’s first Major in 2013, the tournament has crowned 19 different CS:GO champions before transitioning to CS2 in 2024.

This guide covers every CS:GO Major winner in history, their achievements, prize pool progression, iconic MVP performances, and the legendary players who defined the game’s greatest moments. 

Whether you’re researching team legacies, player records, or historic tournament data, find complete championship details across two decades of competitive Counter-Strike.

All-Time CS:GO Major Winners List by Organization

Team Majors Won Years Championship Eras
Astralis 4 2017–2019 Three consecutive (2018–2019); unmatched dynasty
Fnatic 3 2013–2015 Inaugural era dominance; back-to-back titles
Team Vitality 3 2023–2025 Modern CS:GO/CS2 transition; dominant finishes
NAVI 2 2021–2024 s1mple’s Stockholm victory; CS2 inaugural champions
SK Gaming / Luminosity 2 2016 Brazilian era: Columbus & Cologne
EnVyUs 1 2015 Final $250k prize pool Major; French victory
LDLC 1 2014 Controversial “olofboost” final; French breakthrough
Virtus.pro 1 2014 “Virtus Plow” home victory in Kraków
Ninjas in Pyjamas 1 2014 Swedish dynasty’s sole Major title
Gambit 1 2017 Underdog Kraków upset; Zeus’s triumph
Cloud9 1 2018 North American breakthrough; Boston’s historic victory
FaZe Clan 1 2022 karrigan’s long-awaited international team conquest
Outsiders 1 2023 Rio champions; Russian-led neutral roster
Team Spirit 1 2024 donk’s record-setting Shanghai victory; youngest MVP

Astralis dominated the middle era with consecutive championships, while newer teams like Team Vitality and Team Spirit defined the CS2 transition with dominant performances and record-breaking individual achievements.

Complete CS:GO Major Winners (2013–2023)

Tournament Location Winner Runner-Up Final Score Prize Pool MVP
DreamHack Winter 2013 Jönköping, Sweden Fnatic Ninjas in Pyjamas 2-0 $250,000 JW
ESL One Katowice 2014 Kraków, Poland Virtus.pro Fnatic 2-0 $250,000 pashaBiceps
DreamHack Winter 2014 Kraków, Poland LDLC Fnatic 2-1 $250,000 Happy
ESL One Katowice 2015 Kraków, Poland Fnatic Ninjas in Pyjamas 2-1 $250,000 flusha
ESL One Cologne 2015 Cologne, Germany Fnatic Envy 2-0 $250,000 JW
DreamHack Open Cluj-Napoca 2015 Cluj-Napoca, Romania EnVyUs Ninjas in Pyjamas 2-1 $250,000 kennyS
MLG Columbus 2016 Columbus, USA Luminosity Fnatic 2-1 $1,000,000 FalleN
ESL One Cologne 2016 Cologne, Germany SK Gaming Fnatic 2-0 $1,000,000 coldzera
PGL Major Kraków 2017 Kraków, Poland Gambit Immortals 2-0 $1,000,000 Zeus
ELEAGUE Major Boston 2018 Boston, USA Cloud9 FaZe 2-1 OT $1,000,000 Skadoodle
FACEIT Major London 2018 London, UK Fnatic G2 2-1 $1,000,000 Grim
Boston Major 2018 Boston, USA Cloud9 FaZe 3-1 $1,000,000 Skadoodle
PGL Major Stockholm 2018 Stockholm, Sweden Astralis Fnatic 2-0 $1,000,000 dev1ce
ELEAGUE Major Berlin 2019 Berlin, Germany Astralis Avangar 3-2 $1,000,000 dev1ce
Blast Premier Paris 2019 Paris, France Astralis Renegades 2-0 $1,000,000 Magisk
PGL Major Stockholm 2021 Stockholm, Sweden NAVI G2 3-2 $2,000,000 s1mple
PGL Major Antwerp 2022 Antwerp, Belgium FaZe NAVI 3-0 $1,250,000 karrigan
IEM Rio Major 2023 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Outsiders Heroic 3-1 $1,250,000 Jame
BLAST Paris Major 2023 Paris, France Team Vitality GamerLegion 3-0 $1,250,000 ZywOo

CS:GO Majors expanded from 16 to 24 teams in 2018, requiring three stages (Challengers, Legends, Playoffs).

Prize pools increased 4x from the inaugural $250,000 to $1,250,000 by final tournaments, reflecting esports’ professionalization and mainstream recognition.

CS2 Major Champions (2024–2025)

Tournament Location Winner Runner-Up Score Prize Pool MVP Notable
PGL Major Copenhagen 2024 Copenhagen, Denmark Natus Vincere FaZe Clan 3-1 $1,250,000 jL First CS2 Major; NAVI’s revival without s1mple
Perfect World Shanghai 2024 Shanghai, China Team Spirit FaZe Clan 3-1 $1,250,000 donk Youngest MVP: 17 years, 324 days; donk’s 1.49 rating (record high)
BLAST Austin 2025 Austin, USA Team Vitality The MongolZ 3-0 $1,500,000 ZywOo 32-team expansion; Vitality’s second Major
StarLadder Budapest 2025 Budapest, Hungary Team Vitality FaZe Clan 3-1 $1,500,000 apEX First best-of-five Grand Final; Vitality’s third Major

Team Vitality dominated early CS2 with back-to-back victories, while Team Spirit’s breakthrough Shanghai win marked generational shift toward younger Russian talent. donk’s historic MVP performance at 17 cemented CS2’s emergence as a mechanically-driven era distinct from tactical late-CS:GO dominance.

All-Time Major MVP Records

Player Total MVPs Teams Achievements
ZywOo 3 Team Vitality 2023 Paris, 2024 Austin, 2025 Budapest
dev1ce 3 Astralis 2018 Stockholm, 2019 Berlin, Blast 2019
FalleN 2 SK Gaming, Liquid 2016 Columbus, IEM Rio 2023
s1mple 1 NAVI 2021 Stockholm (career-defining moment)
Skadoodle 1 Cloud9 2018 Boston (North American breakthrough)
donk 1 Team Spirit 2024 Shanghai (youngest ever at 17 years)

ZywOo’s three MVPs place him among the greatest Major performers. His dominance in both CS:GO’s final era and CS2’s opening tournaments solidifies his status alongside s1mple as an all-time legend.

Individual Players with Multiple Major Titles

Player Total Majors Teams Years Career Span
Peter “dupreeh” Rasmussen 5 Astralis (4), Team Vitality (1) 2018–2023 Attended all 19 CS:GO Majors
Nicolai “dev1ce” Reedtz 4 Astralis 2018–2019 Three consecutive; world’s most dominant era
Andreas “Xyp9x” Højsleth 4 Astralis 2018–2019 Perfect Astralis run; clutch player
Lukas “gla1ve” Rossander 4 Astralis 2018–2019 IGL of dynasty; tactical genius
Mathieu “ZywOo” Herbaut 3 Team Vitality 2023–2025 Final CS:GO + CS2 dominance

dupreeh holds the record with 5 Major titles—4 with dynasty Astralis and 1 with post-Stockholm Vitality. The Astralis core (dupreeh, dev1ce, Xyp9x, gla1ve) won all their Majors together, cementing them as the most dominant lineup in Counter-Strike history.

Prize Pool Evolution Across Major History

Era Years Prize Pool Teams Format Impact
Valve Foundation 2013–2014 $250,000 16 teams GSL groups Community-funded through skins
Growth Phase 2015–2016 $250,000–$1,000,000 16 teams GSL → Swiss 4x prize increase; sponsorship expansion
Stabilization 2017–2020 $1,000,000 24 teams Swiss system 3-stage format (Challengers, Legends, Playoffs)
Peak CS:GO 2021–2023 $1,250,000–$2,000,000 24 teams Enhanced Swiss $2M Stockholm; mainstream viewership peak
CS2 Expansion 2024–2025 $1,250,000–$1,500,000 24–32 teams 3/4 Swiss stages 32-team format (Austin 2025); franchise potential

Prize pools increased 6x from inaugural $250,000 to peak $2,000,000 at Stockholm 2021. CS2 transition maintained $1.25M+ base while introducing expansion opportunities through 32-team formats and regional RMR qualification systems worth millions across all regions.

CS:GO Major Records & Statistics

Record Holder(s) Details Source
Most Major Wins (Organization) Astralis 4 titles; only team with 3 consecutive
Most Major Wins (Player) Peter “dupreeh” Rasmussen 5 total (4 Astralis, 1 Vitality); attended all 19 CS:GO Majors
Youngest MVP Danil “donk” Kryshkovets 17 years, 324 days; Shanghai 2024 with 1.49 rating
Highest Individual Rating (Major) donk 1.49 rating at Shanghai 2024; highest in CS history
Most Major Appearances dupreeh, apEX, karrigan 19 appearances (tied)
Only Player Both Eras dupreeh Attended all 19 CS:GO Majors; won 2023 Vitality title
Back-to-Back-to-Back Wins Astralis 2018 Stockholm → 2019 Berlin → 2019 Paris
Longest Finals Drought FaZe Clan 5 years from finals (2018 Boston) to win (2022 Antwerp)

donk’s record-setting youth and performance density (1.49 rating) surpass prior generational benchmarks, suggesting CS2 mechanics favor aggressive rifling over the methodical defaults perfected during Astralis’s four-year dominance.

Legendary Major Moments & Upsets

Tournament Year Upset/Moment Impact Details
DreamHack Cluj 2015 2015 LDLC beats Fnatic French breakthrough “Olofboost” controversy overshadowed victory
PGL Kraków 2017 2017 Gambit upsets field Underdog Cinderella Zeus joins last-minute; beats Immortals in final
ELEAGUE Boston 2018 2018 Cloud9 beats FaZe North American first Overtime Grand Final; home crowd advantage; Skadoodle MVP
PGL Stockholm 2021 2021 s1mple’s triumph Career vindication s1mple finally wins “the trophy that mattered”; NAVI dominance returns
PGL Antwerp 2022 2022 FaZe wins first International team First truly multinational roster to win (European mix)
IEM Rio 2023 2023 Outsiders’ victory Russian resilience Jame’s leadership; neutral flag era ending

Cloud9’s 2018 Boston victory and s1mple’s 2021 Stockholm triumph rank among esports’ most emotional moments, combining systemic team excellence with individual redemption arcs that transcended Counter-Strike itself.

FAQs

Which team won the most CS:GO Majors?

Astralis holds the record with 4 CS:GO Major victories (2018–2019), including three consecutive championships. They won at Stockholm 2018, London 2018, Berlin 2019, and Paris 2019, establishing themselves as the most dominant team in Counter-Strike history. No organization has matched their consecutive run.

Who won the last CS:GO Major?

Team Vitality won the final CS:GO Major at BLAST Paris 2023, defeating GamerLegion 3-0 without dropping a map. Mathieu “ZywOo” Herbaut claimed MVP honors in what became a symbolic victory before CS2’s competitive launch, cementing Vitality’s place in history as the bridge between eras.

How much prize money did CS:GO Major winners receive?

Prize pools increased from $250,000 (2013–2015) to $1,250,000 by final tournaments. The peak reached $2,000,000 at PGL Stockholm 2021. Early Majors distributed money to more teams; later events concentrated larger amounts toward Top 8 finalists, with grand-final winners typically receiving $500,000–$1,000,000 depending on tournament structure.

Did s1mple win a CS:GO Major?

Yes, s1mple won his first and only CS:GO Major at PGL Stockholm 2021 with NAVI, defeating G2 Esports 3-2. After years of near-misses despite being considered the “GOAT,” his Stockholm victory became one of esports’ most celebrated moments. He did not attend future Majors before temporarily stepping back from professional play in 2023.

Who is the youngest CS:GO Major winner?

Danil “donk” Kryshkovets (Team Spirit) holds this record, winning the Perfect World Shanghai Major 2024 at 17 years and 324 days old. He also earned MVP honors with a historic 1.49 rating, the highest individual performance rating in any CS Major, marking the generational shift toward younger mechanical talent in CS2.

How many teams have won a CS:GO Major?

13 different teams have won CS:GO Majors across their 19-tournament history. Astralis, Fnatic, and Team Vitality account for 10 titles combined, while Cloud9, FaZe, NAVI, and others earned single championships. The competitive circuit favored European and European-headquartered organizations, with only Cloud9 representing North America as winners.

What is the CS:GO Major vs. CS2 Major difference?

CS:GO Majors (2013–2023) featured 19 tournaments with prize pools reaching $2,000,000. CS2 Majors began in 2024 with expanded formats: Copenhagen started with 24 teams; Austin 2025 expanded to 32 teams across four stages. Prize pools remained $1,250,000–$1,500,000 while CS2’s mechanical changes (subtick servers, visual/audio adjustments) shifted gameplay toward aggressive rifling, making younger players like donk dominant overnight.

Which player has attended the most CS:GO Majors?

Peter “dupreeh” Rasmussen attended all 19 CS:GO Majors (2013–2023), the only player with this distinction. He won 5 Major titles (4 with Astralis, 1 with Vitality) and appears in 19 playoff appearances—an unmatched longevity record demonstrating consistency across a decade of competitive evolution.

How did Fnatic win 3 Majors?

Fnatic won three Majors (2013, 2015, 2015) via the Swedish dynasty’s aggressive AWP-heavy style pioneered by JW. They won inaugural DreamHack 2013, then dominated 2015 (Katowice and Cologne back-to-back) with olofmeister and KRIMZ’s additions. Flusha and pronax formed esports’ first truly dominant rifle duo, setting early strategic templates that evolved across the decade.

Rakib UD Doula
Rakib UD Doula is an iGaming and sports betting content writer at Surprise Sports specializing in legal online casinos, sportsbook platforms, betting strategy, gambling regulations, and iGaming industry analysis. He creates research-driven content covering licensed betting sites, casino reviews, wagering trends, bonus systems, and responsible gambling practices across global betting markets.