As a popular competitive title, CS:GO is known for its massive prize pools. With some of the events featuring more than a million dollars in rewards, it is safe to say that Counter-Strike is an excellent choice for talented FPS players.
In this article, we’ll go through the 10 biggest tournaments and what made them so memorable.
1. PGL Major Stockholm 2021
Prize Pool: $2,000,000
Winner: Natus Vincere
Location: Stockholm, Sweden
Despite being held four years ago, the PGL Major Stockholm remains the highest-paid event in CS: GO history. To remind ourselves, the tournament was highly anticipated, given that it was the first major event since the COVID-19 pandemic.
Given that it was the only major event that year, Valve decided to include rewards from other events, which is why the prize pool was so high. Na’Vi ran roughshod during the Stockholm Major, winning the whole thing without losing a single map.
2. WESG 2017
Prize Pool: $1,500,000
Winner: Fnatic
Location: Haikou, China
Although the competition was called “WESG 2017,” it was actually held in March 2018. Similar to the first event, WESG 2017 didn’t have the same glamour as other top-tier CS:GO events. Nevertheless, the Chinese community loved it, mainly because of its national concept.
Fnatic took the crown as well as an $800,000 first-place prize. Space Soldiers were the runner-ups, with Team Russia placing third.
3. WESG 2016
Prize Pool: $1,500,000
Winner: Team EnVyUs
Location: Shanghai, China
The offline event, organized by ImbaTV and Alisports, aimed to replicate the concept of the Olympic Games. Essentially, from 2016 to 2018, the WESG teams were required to comprise exclusively of players from the same nation. This made the competition somewhat unique in the eSports.
Unfortunately, despite excellent prizes, many top teams chose not to participate in the event, partly because the 2017 Major was drawing closer. Team EnVyUs won the tournament by beating Team Kinguin in the finals.
4. ELEAGUE Season 1
Prize Pool: $1,400,000
Winner: Virtus Pro
Location: Atlanta, USA
The first ELEAGUE event was much better and more massive than Season 2. For example, it had a total prize pool of $1,400,000 (compared to $1,100,000 in Season 2) and featured 24 teams instead of 16. Season 1 featured single-elimination best-of-3 matches and 6 groups with 4 teams.
Eventually, Virtus Pro won the event by beating Fnatic. In fact, it was one of the more dominant performances by the Russian team, as they haven’t lost a single map during the elimination phase. The event was considered one of the most exciting ones in CS:GO history.
5. BLAST.tv Paris Major 2023
Prize Pool: $1,250,000
Winner: Team Vitality
Location: Paris, France
The prestigious tournament was held in Paris at the Accor Arena from May 8 to 21, 2023. It was quite a spectacle, with 24 participants, most of whom qualified through regional rankings.
Teams were split into Challenger and Legend stages, with 16 teams in each group. The top four would then proceed to the elimination stage, which used the best-of-three (BO3) format. In the end, the local Team Vitality took the main prize by beating GamerLegion 2 - 0.
6. IEM Rio 2022
Prize Pool: $1,250,000
Winner: Outsiders
Location: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Intel Extreme Masters Rio 2022 was one of the top events organized by Valve and the 18th Major in the CS:GO history. Although initially scheduled for May 2020, the tournament was postponed and eventually held from October 31 to November 13, 2022.
A notable aspect of this event was that it was the first CS:GO major held in Brazil. Tickets were sold in less than an hour, and the atmosphere was quite electric. Outsiders won the tournament and the main prize of $500,000. Heroic ended up in second place, and MOUZ came in third.
7. ELEAGUE Season 2
Prize Pool: $1,100,000
Winner: Optic Gaming
Location: Atlanta, USA
ELEAGUE Season 2 was a premium event organized by William Morris Endeavor and Turner Sports. A total of 16 CS:GO teams competed in a single-elimination bracket event, with Optic Gaming winning the championship and a hefty $400,000 prize.
What made this tournament stand out from the rest was its excellent organization. You could watch matches every Friday night on TBS, as they were broadcast live. Additionally, global viewers had the opportunity to root for their favorite teams via Twitch.
8. ESL One: Cologne 2016
Prize Pool: $1,000,000
Winner: SK Gaming
Location: Cologne, Germany
ESL competitions are among the most common, recurring tournaments in gaming. Out of numerous ESL events, we chose this particular one, as there was enormous anticipation heading into the competition. SK Gaming won the 2016 competition by beating Team Liquid in the finals by 2-0!
9. ELEAGUE CS Premier 2018
Prize Pool: $1,000,000
Winner: Astralis
Location: Atlanta, USA
This event was held from July 21 to July 29, 2018, in Atlanta, Georgia. One of the reasons the tournament was so glamorous was that it was broadcast on TBS, supported by Turner Sports. Additionally, you can also watch it on YouTube and Twitch.
Despite all the pomp surrounding the event, it featured only eight teams, divided into two groups of four. Astralis won the event and $500,000 prize by beating Team Liquid two to zero!
10. Thunderpick World Championship 2025
Prize Pool: $1,000,000
Winner: TBD
Location: Malta
The prestigious Thunderpick World Championship will feature 8 premier teams from Europe, North America, and South America. It will last from April to October 2025, with teams having to go through closed qualifiers. After the closed qualifiers, which will be broadcast online, participants will go head-to-head in an undisclosed venue in Malta.
The best team will take home $500,000, and the second-place team will receive $150,000. Interestingly enough, this will be the highest prize ever offered by a sportsbook sponsor.
