(ESI Illustration) Image credit: BLAST
The BLAST.tv Paris Major in CS:GO is a notable tournament for many reasons. It will be the first Major organised by BLAST, the first Major in France, and the last Major in CS:GO before Valve shifts to Counter-Strike 2.
In total, 24 teams will participate in this historic event. Featuring Counter-strike household names such as NAVI and G2 Esports to underdogs in Bad News Eagles, MongolZ, and Monte, who exactly is contesting the last ever CS:GO Major title?
Legends teams
Stephanie Lindgren / BLAST
Teams with Legends status in CS:GO Majors are the teams that do not have to play the initial phase of the Major because of their ranking in regional qualifiers (RMR), and success at the previous Major. The eight teams that are already in the Legends stage in the BLAST CS:GO Paris Major are as follows.
The winners of the PGL Major Stockholm 2021, the Ukrainian team is home to one of the best CS:GO players ever, Oleksandr ‘s1mple’ Kostyljev, and is one of the most successful teams in the game’s history. Founded in 2009, NAVI had a streak of 56 weeks as the world’s best CS:GO team in 2021.
A Swedish organisation with a Polish roster that surprised many by qualifying to the Legends stage of the Major, 9INE put Polish CS:GO back on the map through performances during high-profile tournaments. 9INE qualified for the Rio Major in 2023 and got knocked out by NIP.
A Brazilian esports organisation with a global reach, in 2023 FURIA is considered one of the best teams in South America. Having qualified for the Major by placing first at the American RMR, FURIA aims to surpass its semi-final exit at IEM Rio Major 2022, the organisation’s best-ever placement at a CS:GO Major.
Three-time Major winners Fnatic finished second in the European RMR A. One of the most notable esports organisations in history, Fnatic is one of the only two teams that won three Majors, the other being Astralis. The organisation fields teams in numerous other games, with the most known being League of Legends, VALORANT, and Rainbow Six.
The runner-up from 2022’s IEM Rio CS:GO Major, Heroic is currently the number one CS:GO team in the world. The Norwegian team is one of the most consistent performers in the last year but has come short of winning big events several times, including the final of the IEM Rio Major against what is now Virtus.pro.
British esports organisation Into The Breach is one of the lesser-known teams at the Paris Major. The team earned its place by placing third at the European RMR. The organisation entered CS:GO in 2021, and the Paris Major is the first Major they are participating in. The organisation has participated in regional tournaments and has recently won the Assembly Summer 2022 tournament.
One of 2022’s biggest surprises, Bad News Eagles have qualified for three Major in a row, which is an incredible feat for a relatively small organisation from one of the smallest countries in Europe, Kosovo. Interestingly, the team is managed by well-known CS:GO personality James Banks. BNE was the fourth team to qualify for the Legends stage from the European RMR A.
A French organisation that has a lot to show in Paris, Team Vitality has the home advantage going into the MajotVitality comes to the Major with momentum after winning the IEM Rio 2023 and Pro League Season 16. Team Vitality players dupreeh, magisk, and coach zonic were a part of the legendary CS:GO Astralis lineup that won three Majors.
Challengers teams
Image credit: BLAST Premier
The Challenger stage of CS:GO Majors is the phase during which 16 teams that secured their spot through Regional Major Ranking (RMR) tournaments play. This stage is the earliest in the Major and is used to decide the eight teams that go on to compete in the next phase. The teams are seeded by RMR rankings, and divided into Challenger and Contender teams, with Contender teams being seeded lower. The current Challenger teams are as follows.
A notable Brazilian organisation, paiN Gaming qualified for the Challengers stage after placing second in the Americas RMR. The team has been a consistent performer regionally but is yet to prove itself in the international scene, with paiN Gaming’s highest accolade being a win at ESL Challenger at DreamHack Melbourne 2022.
Ukrainian esports organisation Monte’s CS:GO team has made a name for itself by playing in numerous regional tournaments in Europe. The Paris Major will be the team’s first Major after it qualified fourth in the European RMR B. Monte was organisation-less for a while before becoming its own fully-fledged organisation in 2023.
One of the most-known European esports organisations, G2 Esports will start its BLAST.tv Paris Major in the Challengers stage. Notably, G2 Esports notably finished second at the PGL Major Stockholm 2021, but have failed to replicate that success in 2022. G2 is also one of the most famous names in esports history, with a world-renowned League of Legends team and a prominent presence in Rainbow Six.
GamerLegion is one of the lesser-known German organisations on the world stage, but the company has been a part of the regional CS:GO scene since 2019. The organisation, founded in 2017, is playing in its first-ever Major tournament after a good showing in the European RMR.
Forze is a Russian esports organisation that has been a part of the professional Counter-Strike scene since 2001 making it one of the oldest esports brands in Europe. The team has always been consistent locally but only appeared in Majors two times: in 2019 and 2022.
Another Scandinavian organisation, Apeks is perhaps more known to regional (Norweigan?) fans, but the organisation has been one of the most dominant forces in the regional CS:GO league Telialigaen, winning the league five times since 2019. (Is this their first Major?
One of the greats of the game, NIP is an esports brand that has built its legacy in Counter-Strike. The team is not as dominant as it once was, but NIP is still a Major winner and four-time runner-up, making it one of the most successful Counter-Strike brands in history.
A Danish organisation perhaps more known for its two-time International winning Dota 2 roster, OG is a steady performer and a high-quality team. OG struggled through the RMR, losing two initial games against GamerLegion and FaZe, but managed to claw its way to the Challengers stage in the end after stringing three important wins.
Image credit: Michal Konkol / BLAST
Finnish esports organisation, ENCE is known for its fanbase, anthem, and consistent performances regionally and internationally. Interestingly, ENCE had a good run in 2022’s PGL Major Antwerp, finishing top four. This was the organisation’s second-highest ever placement at a CS:GO Major, after placing second at the Katowice Major in 2019.
Perhaps the most famous German CS:GO organisation, MOUZ (formerly Mousesports) is a team that has regularly surprised many. The team qualified for the Major by beating former champions FaZe, and saw a great run in the last Major in Rio, recording their highest-ever placement after finishing the tournament in the semi-final stage.
As Intel Grand Slam winners, Team Liquid is one of the most successful teams to come out of North America. Recently the team finished second at the BLAST Premier World Final 2022 but has never won a Major tournament, despite recording good placements in a number of tournaments. Liquid’s top finish in a CS:GO Major came at the FACEIT Major London 2018 when they finished fourth.
An Australian organisation, Grayhound Gaming is known for being home to some of the biggest Australian talents in its history. The team is very active regionally and is the winner of the Asia-Pacific RMR. Some of the organisations CS:GO accolades include…
One of the oldest esports organisations in the world, Complexity has competed in the Counter-Strike scene since…. The team is known for its association with the Dallas Cowboys and for being one of the rare NA teams to have a somewhat consistent presence in CS:GO. Complexity won the BLAST Premier Spring 2020 European Finals in 2020 but has struggled with form since.
As the name suggests, The MongolZ are a Mongolian team that placed second in the Asia-Pacific RMR. Coming from one of the most remote countries in the world, MongolZ are both a refreshing sight for fans, as well as a strong regional team that regularly appears on the international stage.
One of the up-and-coming teams from South America, Fluxo’s appearance in the Major shows how big the CS:GO scene in Brazil is, with three out of five Americas teams being from Brazil. Fluxo is also one of the younger organisations at the Major, founded in 2021 and starting a CS:GO team in 2022.
The last team to play at the Major is arguably the largest esports organisation in the world. The winners of the PGL Major Antwerp 2022, Intel Grand Slam Season 4, and the ESL Pro League only managed to grab the Major ticket in the last chance European decider, beating another NA team with a European address, Cloud9. FaZe is possibly one of the strongest teams on paper and the current Intel Grand Slam champions, but it all depends on their form at the event itself.
Ivan comes from Croatia, loves weird simulator games, and is terrible at playing anything else. Spent 5 years writing about tech and esports in Croatia, and is now doing it here.
