Counter-Strike Major Championships
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 18 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.
The MLG Major: Columbus 2016 finals | |
| Game | |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2013 |
| No. of teams | 16 teams (2013–2017) 24 teams (2018–present) |
| Country | International |
| Venue(s) | Various |
| Most recent champion(s) | Team Vitality (1st title) |
| Most titles | Astralis (4 titles) |
| TV partner(s) | Twitch, Steam.tv, YouTube |
| Sponsor(s) | Valve |
Since then, the Major circuit has expanded significantly, with recent tournaments advertising a US$2,000,000 prize pool and featuring twenty-four 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 Vitality, who won their first Major at BLAST Paris Major 2023. Astralis hold the record for the most Major titles with four.