Counter-Strike: Most-Watched Esports Tournaments

Counter-Strike fans relish watching their favorite stars locking horns on the server. If you have been following the game for a long time, you will know how fun it is to watch teams playing in the arena for coveted major trophies. Some thrilling moments have been etched in fans' memories forever, shaping the destinies of teams and players alike.

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The intensity and excitement of these matches have continued to grow with events gathering millions of concurrent viewers from all across the world. Here we take a look at the most-watched Counter-Strike Esports tournaments.

7 ELEAGUE Major Boston 2018

• Peak viewership: 1329096
• Winner: Cloud9
• Runner-Up: Faze
• 3rd-4th place: Natus Vincere and SK Gaming

The final of ELEAGUE Major Boston 2018 is often associated with the unparalleled play by Stewie2K on the Inferno B site to take the game to overtime. FaZe Clan came in as the favorites in the event, taking down the likes of NAVI and mousesports to reach the finals, while Cloud9 had an equally impressive run, beating G2 and SK Gaming.

Mirage was a neck-and-neck affair even after Cloud9 rushed to take the lead with the map decided on the last round of regulation courtesy of olofmeister’s 3 frags on B site. FaZe began the second map on the backfoot, but Cloud9 didn’t give them any wiggle room to make a comeback. The CT side picked all rounds in the first overtime; however, Tarik’s ace acted as a catalyst in the second overtime, helping NA win their first Counter-Strike Major.

6 ELEAGUE Major Atlanta 2017

• Peak viewership: 1331781
• Winner: Astralis
• Runner-Up: Virtus.pro (VP)
• 3rd-4th place: Fnatic and SK Gaming

ELEAGUE Major Atlanta 2017 could be dubbed as the starting point for the Astralis’ era of domination. The final match between Astralis and VP was a true delight for the fans as two of the three games went to the final round of regulation with their fair share of twists and turns. After a quick start by the Polish team, the Danes managed to claw their way back into the game. However, losses to pistols in the second half meant that VP snagged the map.

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Throughout Overpass, Virtus.pro was trailing Astralis, only managing to take the lead at the tail end of the game. However, strong individual performances at the tail end helped Astralis get their map. VP started Train in a similar dominating fashion, taking a lead of 8:1 and holding a hefty lead of 13:7 in the second half. However, after Astralis won a force buy, there was no looking back for them. They stringed a series of rounds, and secured their first major victory.

5 IEM Rio Major 2022

• Peak viewership: 1428993
• Winner: Outsiders
• Runner-Up: Heroic
• 3rd-4th place: Natus Vincere and SK Gaming

IEM Rio Major 2022 was filled with surprises as teams, including Astralis and G2, failed to qualify for the tournament, while FaZe, Ninjas in Pyjamas, Vitality, and even Liquid failed to make it through the group stages. Amidst this, the home favorites, FURIA, swept through the opposition to set up a quarter-final clash against Natus Vincere, which was the most-watched match of the tournament.

Nuke began in FURIA’s favor with a lead of 5:2, before plays from s1mple, b1t, and sdy powered them to close the half with a lead. However, it was the former team reaching 14 points before fumbling against pistols, with Natus Vincere converting the next two rounds to win the match. The entirety of FURIA stepped up on Ancient to extend the play. When things looked locked on Mirage, and the scoreline was 10:10, dop opened several rounds single-handedly to help his team book a berth in the semi-finals.

4 BLAST.tv Paris Major 2023

• Peak viewership: 1528724
• Winner: Vitality
• Runner-Up: GamerLegion
• 3rd-4th Place: Heroic and Apeks

The last CS:GO major has a special place in the hearts of Counter-Strike fans as it saw ZywOo, one of the greatest players of the game, lifting his first major trophy. Vitality's dominating run from the get-go, taking down ENCE, G2, and Monte in the group stages to book their berth in the playoffs. On the other hand, GamerLegion had a rough start, losing to NAVI but then winning their remaining games to make a deep tournament run.

The IGL led from the front on Overpass, putting up 23 frags alongside Spinx to power the team to victory. The second map was a close affair as GamerLegion achieved a 10:5 lead. Nevertheless, Vitality was able to break the flow of rounds and win the match, as ZywOo alone took down 21 opponents in the 14 rounds on the CT side.

3 PGL Major Copenhagen 2024

• Peak viewership: 1853954
• Winner: Natus Vincere
• Runner-Up: FaZe Clan
• 3rd-4th Place: Team Vitality and G2 Esports

Major finals and yet another match between NAVI and FaZe Clan is a perfect recipe for an exciting matchup with ups and downs, with this being the first major of Counter-Strike 2 making it even more special. Both teams had a rough run to the group stages, qualifying 3:2 for the playoffs. However, they found the required form in the Royal Arena to set up this final clash.

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Ancient saw a tight first half as FaZe managed to secure five rounds, an eco and a hero AWP round being among them. Nonetheless, Aleksib marched his men through the finish line in the regulation to take the lead. Mirage was a complete blowout as FaZe outplayed NAVI on every possible front to take the map comfortably. While Inferno was expected to be a close affair, jL and b1t lit the stage on fire and picked up the trophy.

2 PGL Major Antwerp 2022

• Peak viewership: 2113610
• Winner: FaZe Clan
• Runner-Up: Natus Vincere
• 3rd-4th Place: ENCE and Team Spirit

The final match on the Champions Stage at PGL Major Antwerp 2022 is a delight for Counter-Strike fans. FaZe Clan came in hot in the Major, winning IEM Katowice 2022 and ESL Pro League Season 15. In the meantime, the defending champion had a great 2021, and deep tournament runs until the major in 2022.

Karrigan and his team put their foot on the pedal to take the lead of 8:0 on the map of Inferno, only to allow NAVI to make a comeback and reach the match point first. Nonetheless, they were able to pull the game to overtime, with ropz winning the game. Nuke was a rain masterclass, as the Norwegian skilfully outgunned the opponents on the Outside Yard on the CT side, leaving much to be desired for Natus Vincere. As the Boombl4 led squad was mounting a comeback, the upper hits in the dying moments of the game were enough for FaZe Clan to secure the victory.

1 PGL Major Stockholm 2021

• Peak viewership: 2748434
• Winner: Natus Vincere
• Runner-Up: G2 Esports
• 3rd-4th Place: Gambit Esports and Heroic

Natus Vincere vs G2 Esports is etched in the history of Counter-Strike. This was the first major finals after the pandemic, and it broke all the previous standing records in terms of viewership. The match included everything, from incredible clutches to NiKo missing his Desert Eagle shot which could have taken us to the third map.

The stage was set for the clash of titans in the Avicii Arena on November 11, 2021. Until the finals, Natus Vincere hadn’t dropped a map, whereas the Nexa-led squad had only lost one map. Off the back of dropping their pick – Ancient, G2 raced off to a good start on Nuke to take a 10:5 lead in the first half. However, despite promising rounds, things went south, with NAVI taking home the map in overtime.

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