Sport
eSports teams – top 5
Success in eSports can be defined by different criteria, the most obvious of which of course are tournament victories. The eSports teams on this list have been chosen in terms of tournaments they won in 2019 and the importance of the events.
Top 5 eSports teams
5. Team Liquid – CS:GO
This multi-regional professional eSports organization are based in the Netherlands and were founded in 2000. They are currently ranked as the second best team in Counter-Strike and Global Offensive.
2019 was a year of ups and down for Liquid. They disappointed at the StarLadder Berlin Major but put in a succession of world-class Counter-Strike performances, winning five tournaments in a row.
Tournament wins: Intel Grand Slam season two, ESL Pro League season nine: Finals, iBUYPOWER Masters IV, IEM Season XIV – Sydney, DreamHack Masters Dallas 2019, ESL One: Cologne 2019, BLAST Pro Series: Los Angeles 2019, IEM Season XIV – Chicago, ECS S8 – NA Series four.
Prize earnings in 2019: $2,312,600 (£1,834,187)
4. FunPlus Phoenix – League of Legends
The Chinese eSports team, owned by video game developer FunPlus, won the 2019 League of Legends World Championship after defeating G2 Esports in the grand finals.
FPX also have eSport teams competing in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, Fortnite Battle Royale, and PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds.
Tournament wins: League Worlds 2019, LPL Summer 2019
Prize earnings in 2019: $1,132,275 (£898,134.78)
3. Astralis – CS:GO
Established in 2016, this Danish eSports team have quickly become a big name in Counter-Strike and Global Offensive, winning an impressive number of tournaments in the 2019 season.
Tournament wins: IEM XIII – Katowice 2019, StarLadder Berlin Major 2019, ECS S7 – Europe Series one, BLAST Pro Series: São Paulo 2019, ECS S8 – Europe Series four, IEM Season XIV – Beijing, ECS S8 – Finals
Prize earnings in 2019: $2,154,900 (£1,709,267)
2. OG – Dota 2
Their victory in The International in August 2019 makes them the only team to win this prestigious and extremely lucrative Dota 2 tournament two years in a row. Their 3-1 win over Team Liquid in the final awarded OG $15.6 million out of the $34 million prize pool.
In addition to Dota 2, the European side also have eSports teams in other games, such as Super Smash Bros. and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive.
Tournament wins: The International 2019
Prize earnings in 2019: $15,817,681 (£12,546,254)
1. G2 Esports – League of Legends
Formerly known as Gamers2, this Spanish eSports team are based in Berlin. They compete in League of Legends, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, PLAYERUNKNOWN’S BATTLEGROUNDS, Hearthstone, Rocket League, Rainbow Six Siege, and iRacing.
Arguably the best European League team of all time, G2 dominated the competition in 2019. Their only tournament loss was their 3-0 defeat by FPX in the Worlds 2019 finals in November.
Tournament wins: Mid-Season Invitational 2019, 2019 LEC Spring Split, 2019 LEC Summer Split, Rift Rivals 2019 – NA vs. EU
Prize earnings in 2019: $900,103 (£713,370)
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