Absolute Champions: Who Takes the Largest Prize Pools in Esports?

Esports continues to grow at an incredible pace, and our favorite game takes center stage in this process. To date, about a thousand major tournaments have been held, and the total funds drawn at these events break all conceivable industry records. The editorial team of the CSGO-NEWS blog decided to figure out in detail exactly who is skimming the cream off the competitive scene. In this article, we will find out who they are—the Richest CS2 teams, and how they managed to achieve such incredible financial and sporting success. We will look at the top 10 rosters that have taken the lion’s share of tournament winnings in the history of the discipline.

10th Place — Aurora Gaming (48 tournaments)

Aurora Gaming is the freshest and most unexpected participant in our list. For a long time, this team was considered a solid mid-tier squad, participating in Tier-2 events. However, their rapid rise shocked analysts. The real breakthrough was the BLAST Open Rotterdam 2026 event, where the guys sensationally knocked out The MongolZ in the quarterfinals. Having earned a huge share of prize money in just 48 events, Aurora proved that hard work pays off.

• Key achievements: 3rd-4th place at BLAST Open Spring 2026; 3rd-4th place at IEM Cologne Major 2026 Stage 3.

9th Place — FURIA (54 tournaments)

The Brazilians from FURIA broke into this elite top for the first time, ousting Virtus.pro. Their golden period came in the second half of 2025, when they took four cups in a row. The signing of star sniper molodoy radically changed the team’s style, adding incredible aggression with the AWP. Considering that 2026 is the last season for the legendary FalleN, each of their new trophies carries colossal historical weight.

• Key achievements: Gold at IEM Chengdu 2025, Thunderpick World Championship 2025, and BLAST Rivals Fall 2025.

8th Place — Team Falcons (41 tournaments)

Falcons made one of the most incredible leaps in esports history. It all started with a historic transfer: the signing of NiKo and m0NESY in 2025 turned the team into a killing machine. In 2026, the brilliant captain karrigan took the reins, and the results skyrocketed. Having played only 41 tournaments (one of the lowest figures in the top), they demonstrate extreme efficiency in winnings per championship.

• Key achievements: Gold at PGL Bucharest 2025 and IEM Cologne Major 2026.

7th Place — G2 Esports (44 tournaments)

Having lost NiKo and m0NESY, the legendary G2 were forced to go into a deep rebuild. Results became unstable, but the huge margin of safety earned in 2024 at the Dallas tournaments and the BLAST World Final allowed them to keep their place in the top. G2 continue to consistently attend all major events, guaranteeing themselves a stable flow of tournament winnings.

• Key achievements: Victories at IEM Dallas 2024, BLAST Premier World Final 2024, and BLAST Open Fall 2025.

6th Place — FaZe Clan (41 tournaments)

FaZe Clan holds their positions, although competitors are gradually pulling away. The golden era of this roster was in 2023, when they swept everyone in their path in Sydney and at the Thunderpick World Championship. In recent seasons, getting cups has become harder, but their incredible experience allows the team to always reach the late stages of the playoffs, taking solid pieces of the total prize pie.

• Key achievements: Championship at IEM Sydney 2023, IEM Chengdu 2024; finals of PGL Major Copenhagen 2024.

5th Place — The MongolZ (44 tournaments)

Asian esports has never been so strong. The MongolZ did the unthinkable, overtaking giants like FaZe and G2 in the ranking. Their success is the result of incredible team discipline and stability. Their main triumph was winning the Esports World Cup 2025, which finally proved that they can destroy the best European rosters in the most prestigious arenas in the world.

• Key achievements: Gold at YaLLa Compass 2024, Thunderpick World Championship 2024, and Esports World Cup 2025.

4th Place — Natus Vincere (66 tournaments)

NAVI takes theirs with incredible hard work and consistency. They attended 66 events—an absolute record among top participants. Their phenomenal 2024, which included victories at the Copenhagen Major, World Cup, and the Rio tournament, created a massive financial cushion for the organization. NAVI does not skip tournaments, and it is this strategy that consistently brings them colossal dividends.

• Key achievements: Victories at PGL Major Copenhagen 2024, Esports World Cup 2024, and ESL Pro League Season 23.

3rd Place — MOUZ (58 tournaments)

Amazingly, MOUZ takes third place without ever winning a Major status tournament. The secret of their success lies in flawless consistency. Semifinals and finals at almost every major event eventually turned into colossal prize funds. The individual form of xertioN and Spinx allows the “mice” to dominate most opponents, and victories at EPL Season 19 and PGL Cluj-Napoca only consolidated their status as a grand.

• Key achievements: Gold at ESL Pro League Season 19, BetBoom Dacha 2024, and PGL Cluj-Napoca 2025.

2nd Place — Team Spirit (66 tournaments)

Team Spirit remains in second place, but their gap from the pursuers has become simply gigantic. Spirit’s unique model combines the maximum number of played tournaments with an unreal win rate. The donk phenomenon raised the team’s ceiling to an unattainable level. Their 2024 run with a victory at the Shanghai Major will forever go down in history as one of the most profitable seasons for a single team.

• Key achievements: Gold at IEM Katowice 2024, Perfect World Shanghai Major 2024, and PGL Astana 2025.

1st Place — Team Vitality (41 tournaments)

Vitality are in a league of their own. They set an absolute, unsurpassed record for earnings, taking part in only 41 tournaments. Five international cups in the first half of 2026 alone, constant triumphs at Majors—their dominance has become absolute. ZywOo, ropz, flameZ, apEX, and mezii have written their names into the esports hall of fame forever. Today, this is the best roster in the history of the game.

• Key achievements: Victories at IEM Cologne 2024, BLAST.tv Austin Major 2025, StarLadder Budapest Major 2025, and IEM Krakow 2026.

Summing up, the CSGO-NEWS blog notes that the esports landscape has heavily consolidated at the very top. Obviously, the Richest CS2 teams will continue to rewrite history, but the emergence of teams like Aurora and FURIA proves that the era of a closed elite is coming to an end. We will continue to monitor how the Richest CS2 teams divide the tournament funds, and we will definitely tell you about it in future articles. Learn from the best, follow the tournaments, because it is the Richest CS2 teams that set the meta by which the whole world plays!