When it first launched in 2012, CSGO almost immediately became an international sensation with the best CSGO teams in the world quickly establishing themselves. Counter-Strike had built a firm foundation as a franchise, but CSGO would truly become a global masterpiece. In the years that followed, countless professional Counter-Strike teams entered the space, battling it out until the end of its lifespan. With that in mind, we’re here today to discuss the best CSGO teams of all time.
Our ranking is based on a multitude of factors, including prize pool earnings, Major accomplishments, longevity, and overall impact on the Counter-Strike landscape. Note that the achievements of both the organizations’ and individual rosters are taken into consideration.
List of the Best CSGO of All Time
| Rank | CSGO Teams |
|---|---|
| #10 | Cloud9 |
| #9 | Team Vitality |
| #8 | Virtus.pro |
| #7 | Team Liquid |
| #6 | Ninjas in Pyjamas |
| #5 | Luminosity/SK Gaming |
| #4 | FaZe Clan |
| #3 | Fnatic |
| #2 | Natus Vincere (NAVI) |
| #1 | Astralis |
More About CSGO Top 10 Teams
Let’s take a look at the best CSGO teams of all time. We’ve included the most successful iterations of their rosters.
Knowing this history could prove useful for betting on Counter-Strike in the future.
10. Cloud9
The North American organization’s appearance on this list was inevitable, due to the combination of their accomplishments and longevity within the scene.
Cloud9 is the only North American team to ever win a Major in CS:GO, doing so on home soil at ELEAGUE Major 2018 in Boston, Massachusetts.
They’ve won numerous other tournaments, including ESL Pro League Season 4 Finals, DreamHack Open Denver 2017, and most recently IEM Dallas 2022 with their newly acquired CIS roster.
With all the aspects combined, they are deserving of a place on our best CS:GO teams of all time list with consistently strong Counter-Strike betting odds.
- Most successful roster (ELEAGUE Major 2018): tarik, Stewie2K, autimatic, Skadoodle, RUSH
- Prize winnings: $3,384,000
- Biggest achievement: ELEAGUE Major 2018 – 1st
9. Vitality
Being one of the youngest teams in the upper echelon of Counter-Strike (est. 2013), Vitality had a lot of catching up to do if they wanted to find themselves on the best CS:GO teams of all time list.
The French organization did just that, winning multiple S-tier events between 2019 and 2023, including the BLAST.tv Paris Major 2023 on home soil.
The bulk of their success came after they acquired the then-prodigy Mathieu “ZywOo” Herbaut, who went on to become one of the best players in the history of the game.
With him on the team, Vitality is in good stead to continue building on its legacy for years to come at the top Counter-Strike tournaments.
- Most successful roster (BLAST.tv Paris Major 2023): ZywOo, apEX, Spinx, dupreeh, Magisk
- Prize winnings: $4,000,000
- Biggest achievement: BLAST.tv Paris Major 2023 – 1st
8. Virtus.pro
Virtus.pro is one of the rare organizations, which managed to win two Majors with two completely different rosters. This unbelievable feat is a testament to their longevity and smart player recruitment.
Most of their success came in the early stages of CS:GO, where the Virtus.pro banner was held by the legendary Polish roster, which included beloved players like Jarosław “pashaBiceps” Jarząbkowski and his teammates.
The Polish squad collected numerous accolades, including a Major victory on home soil at EMS One Katowice 2014, a second-place finish in the ELEAGUE Atlanta Major 2017, and several other S-tier tournament titles.
With the first iteration of Virtus.pro slowly declining, the organization decided to pivot and sign an up-and-coming CIS roster with Dzhami “Jame” Ali at the helm.
This turned out to be an excellent decision, with the new squad becoming a mainstay in the Counter-Strike elite, with their biggest success being their IEM Rio Major 2022 victory.
- Most successful roster (EMS One Katowice 2014): pashaBiceps, Snax, byali, TaZ, NEO
- Prize winnings: $4,600,000
- Biggest achievement: EMS One Katowice 2014 – 1st place
7. Team Liquid
Team Liquid is the only squad to have made our list without hoisting a Major trophy in CS:GO, but it’s for a good reason.
The North American organization is one of the most accomplished teams in the history of the game, having made Major playoffs six times, won a multitude of tier-one events, and claimed the Intel Grand Slam in record speed.
Moreover, it is one of the most successful teams, when it comes to prize money winnings, having earned over $5.000.000 throughout CS:GO.
With all those factors combined, Team Liquid could not be omitted from our best CS:GO teams of all time list.
- Most successful roster (Intel Grand Slam run): Stewie2K, nitr0, NAF, Twistzz, EliGE
- Prize winnings: $5,900,000
- Biggest achievement: Intel Grand Slam
6. Ninjas in Pyjamas
Despite their struggles at the tail end of CS:GO, NIP’s legacy is too difficult to ignore. The Swedish organization dominated the early stages of the game, going on an unfathomable 87-0 LAN win streak – a record that stood the test of time and looks to remain untouched forever.
Furthermore, NIP holds the record for most Major final appearances with five (in a row), claiming the title at ESL One Cologne 2014. This streak of results alone warrants them a place on our best CS:GO teams of all time list.
NIP was also home to some of the best and most influential Counter-Strike players in the history of the game – Christopher “GeT_RiGhT” Alesund and Patrik “f0rest” Lindberg.
- Most successful roster (ESL One Cologne 2014): GeT_RiGhT, f0rest, friberg, Xizt, Fifflaren
- Prize winnings: $3,800,000
- Biggest achievement: ESL One Cologne 2014 – 1st
5. Luminosity/SK Gaming
The number five entry on our list is a combination of two organizations represented by the same five-man roster – the Brazilians, who broke out under the Luminosity banner in 2016 and moved over to SK Gaming that same year.
Luminosity put South American Counter-Strike on the map during their shock run to a Major trophy at MLG Columbus 2016. Shortly after their victory, the team moved over to SK Gaming, where they claimed their second Major title in a row at ESL One Cologne 2016.
The Brazilians continued to dominate the CS:GO scene in the following years, winning multiple S-tier events and revolutionizing how top teams approached the game.
Nowadays, numerous professional players from Brazil and South America credit the Luminosity/SK Gaming roster as their biggest idols and massive inspirations in their careers. They remain strong candidates for CS2 betting on teams.
- Most successful roster (ESL One Cologne 2016): coldzera, Fallen, fer, fnx, TACO
- Prize winnings: $1,400,000 (Luminosity), $2,800,000 (SK Gaming)
- Biggest achievement: ESL One Cologne 2016 – 1st
4. FaZe Clan
FaZe is the only team on our list, which consistently sported international rosters throughout its CS:GO tenure. Moreover, they were one of the first adopters of the international roster strategy, picking up an international lineup as early as 2016.
Since then, FaZe have accumulated numerous accolades, including one Major trophy, an Intel Grand Slam, IEM Katowice, and IEM Cologne titles, and many more.
The two most successful iterations of FaZe were led by the same man – Finn “karrigan” Andersen. The Dane has made a name for himself as one of the greatest in-game leaders of all time, leading FaZe to its maiden Major title in Antwerp, which was the first time in CS:GO history that an international roster lifted the Major trophy.
Additionally, FaZe remained competitive ever since they entered the CS:GO scene in 2016, which is a testament to their longevity and smart management decisions.
- Most successful roster (PGL Antwerp Major 2022): karrigan, ropz, Twistzz, broky, rain
- Prize winnings: $7,100,000
- Biggest achievement: PGL Antwerp Major 2022 – 1st
3. Fnatic
Although the last few years of CS:GO were not pretty for Fnatic, the Swedish powerhouse is more than deserving of a podium placing on our best CS:GO teams of all time list.
The Swedes dominated the early years of CS:GO, claiming three Major titles (second most), making Major playoffs 12 times in a row, and winning more than 20 international LAN tournaments.
A lot of Fnatic’s success came on the back of exceptional performances of Olof “olofmeister” Kajbjer, who in his prime was one of the most dominant CS:GO players of all time, capable of winning whole matches by himself.
However, olofmeister wasn’t the only component of that equation, as demonstrated by his Fnatic teammates after he left for FaZe in 2017. Following his departure, Fnatic still enjoyed a lot of success, including an IEM Katowice victory in 2018.
- Most successful roster (ESL One Cologne 2015): olofmeister, JW, flusha, KRIMZ, pronax
- Prize winnings: $5,300,000
- Biggest achievement: ESL One Cologne 2015 – 1st
2. Natus Vincere
NAVI is perhaps the most consistent team in the history of CS:GO, being the only organization to have attended every single one of the 19 CS:GO Majors. Over those tournaments, NAVI have made 15 playoff appearances, five Grand Finals, and won the title once.
What certainly helped NAVI remain among the Counter-Strike elite for such a long time was the fact that since 2016 they could rely on the services of the CS:GO GOAT – Oleksandr “s1mple” Kostyliev, one of the best CSGO players of all time.
The Ukrainian sniper powered his team to an Intel Grand Slam and several big event trophies, claiming MVP medals in most of them, even the ones they failed to win.
While they have placed second on our best CS:GO teams of all time list, NAVI is more than deserving of the title of most consistent CS2 team of all time. and no other team comes close.
- Most successful roster (PGL Stockholm Major 2021): s1mple, electroNic, b1t, Perfecto, Boombl4
- Prize winnings: $9,400,000
- Biggest achievement: PGL Stockholm Major 2021 – 1st
1. Astralis
The number one spot on our best CS:GO teams of all time could be occupied by only one team – Astralis. The Danish super team is undoubtedly the most accomplished, dominant, and innovative squad in the history of the game, having reinvented the meta and redefined the way professional teams looked at Counter-Strike.
With four Major titles and countless S-tier event trophies under their belt, there could never be a team as dominant and as successful as prime Astralis.
What’s interesting, is the Danes’ transformation into the greatest Counter-Strike team of all time, as before their ELEAGUE Atlanta Major victory in 2017, they were known to choke in big games and always fail to make it over the line.
Once everything clicked in 2017, the young promising roster turned into world-beaters in a matter of months.
While the team slowly fizzled out at the tail end of CS:GO, there was no other squad in the conversation for the best CS:GO team of all time than Astralis.
- Most successful roster (StarLadder Major Berlin 2019): device, dupreeh, gla1ve, Xyp9x, Magisk
- Prize winnings: $9,900,000
- Biggest achievement: StarLadder Major Berlin 2019 – 1st
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