NAVI has won the first-ever Counter-Strike 2 Major in Copenhagen, Denmark after beating FaZe Clan 2-1 in the grand final.
The win sees NAVI become the first ever CS2 world champion, but this is not the first time they have been at the top of the Counter-Strike world, with the organisation previously winning the CS:GO Stockholm Major in 2021. In fact, the final was a rematch of the final from the Antwerp Major with both FaZe and NAVI meeting in that grand final back in 2022, although that time FaZe came out on top.
The final was an entertaining affair, even if it wasn’t a best of five which it should have been, with NAVI taking the opening map on Ancient 13-9. While it was a reasonably close map, it seemed that NAVI managed to surprise FaZe a little to take the opening map, as FaZe never managed to string more than a few rounds together in a row.
The next map was Mirage, which was NAVI’s pick, which on paper would signal a quick 2-0 win for them, but it was FaZe who got off to the hot start, taking the first half 10-2, all but guaranteeing a third map. FaZe would then win the next three rounds to take the map in dominant fashion with a 13-2 scoreline, setting up a final showdown on Inferno.
NAVI took the opening pistol round in the final map and then put seven rounds on the board before FaZe could win one. NAVI would take the first half 9-3, giving FaZe an almost impossible task to win the Major. NAVI would eventually take the final map 13-3 to become the first ever CS2 world champion.
Along with the title of best in the world, NAVI takes home $500,000 while FaZe takes home just $170,000 for second place. While these numbers are considerably smaller than many other world championships in esports, each team in the tournament gets a share of revenue generated from the in-game stickers, which typically sits in the millions of dollars for each team.
For the first CS2 Major things generally went well, despite a few issues, with a lot of surprises throughout the competition. While FaZe was ranked as the top team coming into the competition, NAVI was ranked just sixth, and few expected them to do well at the event. Team Spirit were considered the favourites by many, but they crashed out at the quarter-final stage, while Mouz, who had been on a good run of form heading into the Major, were also expected to do well but also only made the top eight.
Tournament organizer PGL, who hosted the Major, also took the opportunity to announce its future plans in the world of CS2. In 2025 and 2026 PGL will host at least 11 CS2 events, a significant increase on its output in recent years which has mostly been limited to Majors. This is because of the recently announced shift that will see franchised CS leagues outlawed in an attempt to return to a more open system.
“For the first time since 2016, PGL will be able to organize CS2 Tier 1, non-major tournaments, signalling the end of the era dominated by a few esports organizers who created a monopoly on the Counter-Strike market,” read a statement from PGL. “This initiative not only introduces a breath of fresh air into the competitive scene but also aligns with PGL’s vision of fostering a more inclusive and varied esports ecosystem.”
