Counter-Strike 2 Esports: The 2025 Season

Throughout the year 2025, the competitive landscape for Counter-Strike 2 further solidified its standing as a leading first-person shooter game globally.

Numerous event organizers arranged major competitions during this period, drawing in prominent esports organizations from around the world. Exclusively within the top-tier circuit, a total exceeding $32 million (approximately £23.7 million) in prize funds was made available.

In addition to substantial prize funds, Valve persistently rolled out various enhancements designed to maintain Counter-Strike 2’s accessible environment, simultaneously revitalizing the game by modifying the map selection.

From a single squad’s supremacy to the emergence of promising new talents, Esports Insider reviews an eventful year of competitive Counter-Strike 2 engagements in 2025.

Following a start to the year with an eighth-place finish at BLAST Bounty Season 1, Team Vitality rapidly established its control, securing victories in half a dozen top-tier competitions from February through June.

Beyond their numerous triumphs, the French organization achieved the second-longest uninterrupted winning streak in Counter-Strike’s history, accumulating thirty LAN wins. This series commenced with a decisive 2-0 victory against 3DMAX at IEM Katowice and concluded with an unexpected 13-3 loss to Legacy during the group stage of the BLAST.tv Austin Major.

Even after dropping their initial best-of-one match at the Major, Team Vitality recovered strongly at the first of two major showcases. Resounding wins against Nemiga Gaming, 3DMAX, and Virtus.pro secured the squad its seventh straight appearance in the knockout rounds. A clean 2-0 triumph over NAVI, succeeded by a 2-1 victory against MOUZ, propelled Team Vitality into yet another Grand Final, offering the lineup an opportunity to further solidify its reputation.

In the Austin Grand Final, The MongolZ awaited, a team that has been a consistent driving force for Counter-Strike esports development throughout Mongolia and Asia. The squad from Mongolia surprised their rivals with a dominant 13-5 victory on Mirage, placing the year’s leading contenders at a disadvantage.

Team Vitality retaliated with an impressive 13-4 map win on Dust II, , thereby evening the best-of-three series. Mathieu ‘ZywOo’ Herbaut showcased his skill, even without his signature AWP, by securing an early one-versus-two clutch in the third round, sustaining their momentum. A 13-6 victory on Inferno finalized their comeback, clinching Team Vitality’s first Major championship since 2023.

Following their triumph at the Austin Major, the French organization maintained its leading position in the Valve Regional Standings (VRS) as the season entered its latter half. Nevertheless, Team Vitality’s period of supremacy concluded at IEM Cologne when MOUZ, the German organization, ousted the Austin Major victor in the semi-final.

Reaching the top four at this event, alongside comparable results at BLAST Bounty Season 2 and the Esports World Cup, interrupted Team Vitality’s initial season’s drive.

Achieving a runner-up position at BLAST Open London indicated the squad’s performance was again trending upwards. Although the French contingent didn’t manage to defeat G2 Esports in the ultimate match, it still represented another showing in a top-tier championship showdown. The short string of losses ceased at ESL Pro League Season 22 with an overwhelming 3-0 victory against Team Falcons, signaling a resumption of their winning form.

Securing another top-four position at BLAST Rivals Fall implied that additional effort was needed to entirely restore a commanding streak in anticipation of the StarLadder Budapest Major. Much like in Austin, Team Vitality suffered a defeat in its initial Swiss stage game against FaZe Clan but then recovered with three successive wins to secure a place in the knockout rounds.

The vintage Team Vitality re-emerged in the quarter-finals facing The MongolZ, a repeat of the Austin Grand Final. A clean 2-0 sweep guaranteed a semi-final confrontation against their enduring adversary, Team Spirit. Despite Danil ‘donk’ Kryshkovets’ continuous influence, Team Vitality prevailed with a hard-won 2-0 victory, securing their spot in consecutive Major Grand Finals.

FaZe Clan advanced to face the reigning Major champion after an improbable journey from the initial phase. The Red Militia’s preferred map, Nuke, provided their team with an initial advantage in the inaugural best-of-five Grand Final. Nevertheless, Team Vitality displayed its superior skill across the subsequent three maps, expertly winning Dust II, Inferno, and Overpass to achieve a triumphant defense of their championship.

Notwithstanding some minor obstacles encountered, Team Vitality inaugurated a fresh period of supremacy in Counter-Strike 2, a competitive gaming title where multiple squads often vie for ultimate championship success.

During July 2024, Valve revealed an updated set of tournament regulations for the Counter-Strike 2 competitive structure, modifying the quantity of teams receiving direct invitations to competitions, establishing deadlines for event announcements, and specifying which events are accounted for within the VRS framework.

Subsequently, February 2025 introduced a notable alteration to the VRS methodology, causing match abandonments to be weighted identically to any loss in either online or offline competitions. Additional modifications encompassed revisions to how prize money is computed, now incorporating club income provided by organizers like ESL FACEIT Group and the Esports World Cup.

Prior to the Budapest Major, the creator and distributor of Counter-Strike 2 abolished the Major Regional Qualifiers (MRQs), thereby placing increased importance on the VRS. Consequently, the leading 32 teams from October’s VRS standings guaranteed their spots at the concluding event of the season.

This determination ignited a resurgence of interest in secondary-tier tournaments, as squads vied for crucial VRS points at the eleventh hour, aiming to participate in the event held in Hungary’s capital. Fragadelphia’s Blocktober competition drew in various prominent European entities, with Fnatic ultimately triumphing to secure their qualification for the Major.

Beyond its ongoing refinements to the tournament rule set and the VRS, Valve implemented a single alteration to the Active Duty map roster subsequent to Team Vitality’s victory at the Austin Major. Anubis was removed from the map rotation, with Overpass taking its place for the commencement of Premier Season Three, signifying the canal-themed map’s reintroduction after its exclusion in April 2024.

Match forfeitures continued to be a key aspect of Valve’s modifications to the Tournament Operations Rulebook (TOR). Subsequent to Håvard ‘rain’ Nygaard’s unexpected re-entry into the FaZe Clan roster during ESL Pro League Season 22, the developer introduced a fresh regulation stipulating that teams must concede a match if less than three individuals from the designated roster are participating.

Valve has a history of introducing rule modifications even during ongoing tournaments. As the Budapest Major approached its conclusion, the corporation revised the TOR yet again. On this occasion, their focus shifted to websites involved in skin wagering and crate-opening. Changes to the Limited Game Tournament License now prohibit event organizers and teams from showcasing material that infringes upon Valve’s intellectual property.

Consequently, participating teams are now forbidden from displaying any sponsors related to skin betting or case-opening on their uniforms, and competition organizers are prevented from entering into sponsorship agreements with such online platforms.

Although Valve’s objective is to foster an inclusive environment, its heightened participation has undeniably influenced multiple facets of the Counter-Strike 2 professional gaming landscape.

Following its dependence on an entirely Brazilian squad for 2024 and the initial four months of 2025, FURIA brought in Mareks ‘YEKINDAR’ Gaļinskis and Danil ‘molodoy’ Golubenko, introducing a global touch to their team composition.

An eighth-place finish at the Austin Major seemed poised to ignite an improvement in their performance. However, a twelfth-place standing at FISSURE Playground #1 and an inability to advance to the BLAST Bounty Season 2 playoffs indicated that further effort was necessary to achieve peak success. Their turning point occurred at FISSURE Playground #2, where FURIA triumphed over The MongolZ in a hard-fought five-game series, securing their initial Tier 1 LAN championship.

Even during his debut year, molodoy appeared completely comfortable wielding the AWP. His remarkable positioning combined with incredibly swift reflexes rapidly cemented his reputation among Counter-Strike’s most acute sharpshooters. Although they placed within the top eight at ESL Pro League Season 22, the groundwork for establishing a powerful presence had been laid.

One month subsequent to their victory at FISSURE Playground #2, FURIA secured an additional trophy for their collection at the Thunderpick World Championship by achieving an improbable comeback sweep against NAVI.

Their momentum persisted as molodoy excelled alongside a reinvigorated Kaike ‘KSCERATO’ Cerato, leading to FURIA ascending to the summit of November’s VRS rankings. Two more Tier 1 wins at IEM Chengdu and BLAST Rivals Fall placed the squad in an optimal situation to compete for top honors at the Budapest Major.

FURIA asserted control over Stage 3 from its commencement, overcoming NAVI, Imperial Esports, and G2 Esports without dropping a single map, thereby securing their entry into yet another Major playoff bracket. The team encountered NAVI once more; however, the Ukrainian side established an early lead on Mirage with a 13-5 score, placing the event’s presumed victors under significant duress.

Owing to Gabriel ‘FalleN’ Toledo’s critical plays, FURIA remained in contention and subsequently answered with an exciting 16-13 victory on Inferno, equalizing the series score.

The venerable map of Train, a familiar territory for FalleN, was set to decide the fate of FURIA’s Major journey; nonetheless, the Chengdu champions proved unable to counter NAVI’s relentless attacking tactics. The Brazilian organization suffered a 13-3 defeat against the Ukrainian squad, departing the competition in yet another Major quarter-final.

Notwithstanding the loss, FURIA’s early-season personnel adjustment yielded positive results, and the team is now poised for 2026 with a strong prospect of maintaining its standing among the global elite.

The 2025 competitive period presented numerous tumultuous periods for the FaZe Clan lineup, which aimed to reclaim its position among Counter-Strike 2’s top-tier squads. Alongside a year marked by unsatisfactory outcomes, the champions of the Antwerp Major faced difficulties in finalizing a roster that could ascend the VRS rankings.

In May 2025, Helvijs ‘broky’ Saukants was moved to a substitute role to accommodate Oleksandr ‘s1mple’ Kostyliev for IEM Dallas and the Austin Major. Notwithstanding several unimpressive showings, FaZe Clan managed to advance to the Major playoffs once more. Nevertheless, a crushing 2-0 loss to The MongolZ in the quarter-final terminated what was otherwise an unmemorable tournament run.

Broky rejoined the primary squad in July, concurrent with August marking Jonathan ‘EliGE’ Jablonowski’s stint as a substitute before his return to Team Liquid. Jakub ‘jcobbb’ Pietruszewski was subsequently enlisted as the newest member of FaZe Clan.

This youthful, untested newcomer, possessing considerable promise, secured a chance to compete at the elite level following impressive displays while representing Betclic Apogee Esports.

Partway through FISSURE Playground #2, Team Liquid disclosed Russel ‘Twistzz’ Van Dulken’s reintegration into FaZe Clan, marking another unexpected team change. Almost ten years after his initial recruitment by the Red Militia, Håvard ‘rain’ Nygaard withdrew to make way for Twistzz, thereby finalizing the squad’s composition for the year’s second Major.

FaZe Clan commenced the StarLadder Budapest Major in Stage 1 and quickly approached the brink of an early exit after losses to NRG and Ninjas in Pyjamas. The squad was mere moments from being eliminated by RED Canids before regrouping to beat both the Brazilians and Fluxo 2-1, thereby securing their advancement to the second stage by the slimmest of margins.

FaZe presented a transformed appearance in Stage 2, achieving three decisive wins against Passion UA, Aurora Gaming, and Ninjas in Pyjamas to progress to Stage 3. Sustaining this impetus, the organization overcame Team Vitality, 3DMAX, and Passion UA to conclude another strong phase and remarkably secure a playoff berth.

Before a considerable audience at Budapest’s MVM Dome, FaZe Clan delivered a clean 2-0 sweep against MOUZ in the quarter-final, subsequently knocking out NAVI 2-1 to cap off an extraordinary journey to the Grand Final.

The team secured the initial map, claiming Nuke with a 13-6 score and offering supporters optimism that the famously unpredictable roster might ascend to the championship. Yet, Team Vitality, the Austin Major victor, quelled any such surge, decisively outplaying FaZe Clan on Dust II, Inferno, and Overpass, thereby dousing their adversary’s aspirations.

Even though FaZe Clan failed to clinch another Major championship, their advancement to the Grand Final after a season plagued by team changes and fluctuating displays indicated that Finn ‘Karrigan’ Anderson’s squad retains the capability to contend with the global elite.

As they head into 2026, the team might see themselves reaching the advanced rounds of additional Counter-Strike 2 top-tier competitions, provided they can capture the FaZe Clan essence and transform it into reliable performances at major events.