Counter-Strike Major Championships: History and Background

Counter-Strike Major Championships, commonly known as the Majors, are Counter-Strike (CS) esports tournaments sponsored by Valve, the game's developer. The first Valve-recognized Major took place in 2013 in Jönköping, Sweden and was hosted by DreamHack with a total prize pool of US$250,000 split among 16 teams. This, along with the following 19 Majors, was played in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. As of the 2023 release of Counter-Strike 2 (CS2), Counter-Strike esports, including the Majors, are played in CS2.

Since then, the Major circuit has expanded significantly, with recent tournaments advertising a US$1,250,000 prize pool and featuring thirty-two teams from around the world. The Majors are considered to be the most important and prestigious tournaments in the Counter-Strike scene.

The current champions are Team Falcons, who won their first Major at the IEM Cologne Major 2026, the fifth to be held in Counter-Strike 2. Astralis hold the record for the most Major titles with four.

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