When I originally launched my CS:GO World Rankings concept in 2014 there were no other attempts at a global ranking, regularly updated, of the world’s top teams. Other rankings have since risen up and over time been tweaked to provide an accurate and reliable charting of the rise and fall of the many teams in the scene. What is lacking is an expert’s eye, to adjust for factors point-based systems cannot address, and explanation of the various positions.
My rankings run over an exact three-month span, extending back three months prior to the date they are published, and encapsulating all offline results within that time span. This allows for a sense of how good a team is to be established after they have had time to accomplish multiple placings, but without unduly letting teams who were fantastic many months ago hang on to top rankings when the game and time has moved on.
As well as placings, the value of which is determined by the prestige of the tournament and the quality of the opposition in attendance, the opponents a team beats counts to their ranking. Teams who defeat Top 10 opponents, with the higher-ranked teams more valuable scalps to claim, help determine their overall ranking and break ties with other teams who have similar kinds of placings. Likewise, victories in Best-of-3 (Bo3) series are of more value than Bo1 results and a single map won in a series over teams of a similar level. Unlike past editions of my rankings, I will also list the victories teams have had over ranked opponents.
When a team changes players then past results are counted at a proportionally lower value, based on how many remaining players were present at that time.
The key approach which changes the nature of these rankings is the addition of a tier-based system as well, taking cues from the “class” vernacular of the StarCraft: Brood War community of the 2000s and recent rankings by Esports Kingdom. S class are the elite teams, who can be expected to win tournaments. A class are the teams below them, good and capable of competing with them but not expected to be the favourite at tournaments featuring all the teams. B class are the teams below both of the previous tiers, solid sides and capable of being ranked but not top teams.
The importance of this change is that it prevents situations where the scene, perhaps due to roster moves or a lull in form, has few elite sides and so a team finds themselves ranked fifth who likely will never win a big tournament. In other eras, perhaps even the fourth and fifth-ranked teams are championship material. The class system will signify as much.
Update: Due to the lockdown in many countries leading to essentially no offline play I have taken the decision of covering online results, contrary to the usual precedent, in lieu of LANs. Once offline play resumes I will again return to ignoring online results.
14th March 2020 – 14th July 2020
Tournaments impacting the ranking (due to teams ranked attending)
- Mar 03 – May 31 ESL Meisterschaft: Spring [Online]
- Mar 16 – Apr 12 ESL Pro League Season 11: Europe [Online]
- Mar 13 – Apr 19 Flashpoint 1 [Online]
- Mar 26 – Apr 12 ESL Pro League Season 11: North America [Online]
- Apr 07 – Apr 12 HomeSweetHome: Week 1 [Online] [NEW]
- Apr 14 – Apr 19 HomeSweetHome: Week 2 [Online] [NEW]
- Apr 22 – May 10 ESL One: Road to Rio – North America [Online]
- Apr 22 – May 17 ESL One: Road to Rio – Europe [Online]
- Apr 30 – May 17 ESL One: Road to Rio – CIS [Online] [NEW]
- May 05 – May 10 HomeSweetHome: Week 3 [Online] [NEW]
- May 12 – May 27 HomeSweetHome: Week 4 [Online] [NEW]
- Apr 05 – Jun 13 LOOT.BET/CS Season 6 (3rd-4th) [Online] [New]
- May 19 – Jun 14 DreamHack Masters Spring 2020: Europe [Online] [NEW]
- May 19 – Jun 14 DreamHack Masters Spring 2020: North America [Online] [NEW]
- May 22 – May 24 Merkur Masters Season 1 [Online] [NEW]
- Jun 01 – Jun 07 BLAST Premier: Spring 2020 European Showdown [Online] [NEW]
- Jun 01 – Jun 15 BLAST Premier: Spring 2020 European Showdown [Online] [NEW]
- Jun 02 – Jun 07 HomeSweetHome: Week 7 [Online] [NEW]
- Jun 09 – Jun 14 HomeSweetHome: Week 8 [Online] [NEW]
- Jun 15 – Jun 21 BLAST Premier: Spring 2020 European Finals [Online] [NEW]
- Jun 16 – Jun 28 WePlay! Clutch Island [Online] [NEW]
- Jun 16 – Jun 21 BLAST Premier: Spring 2020 American Finals [Online] [NEW]
- Jun 22 – Jul 05 cs_summit 6 Online: North America [Online] [NEW]
- Jun 24 – Jul 05 cs_summit 6 Online: Europe [Online] [NEW]
B Class – Ranked but not top teams
10. Ninjas in Pyjamas [REZ, Plopski, twist, nawwk and hampus] [NEW]
Recent form:
- ESL One: Road to Rio – Europe (5th) [Online]
- DreamHack Masters Spring 2020: Europe (5th-6th) [Online]
- BLAST Premier: Spring 2020 European Showdown (3rd) [Online]
- BLAST Premier: Spring 2020 European Finals (5th-6th) [Online]
- cs_summit 6 Online: Europe (8th) [Online]
Bo5:
Bo3: FNC (RR EU) [Online], Ast (DH EU) [Online], MAD (Blast Show EU) [Online]
One map: Ast (RR EU) [Online], FaZe (DH EU) [Online], Ast (Blast Show EU) [Online]
NiP used to hover around this position, barely making the rankings, late last year, but the new look NiP has become quite the promising team and may yet climb even higher. They haven’t cracked top four at any of the big events, but they are just on the brink time and time again. That they compete in Europe, the most stacked and difficult region to score big placings in, makes their finishes worth more than some of the stronger finishes I’ve seen in NA or CIS.
They still clearly have inexperience and a hole or two in their map pool holding them back, but THREAT’s experiment already seems to be yielding positive results. A year from now, this could well be a core breaking into the top five. Let’s see if one of them is ready to become a super-star and make that happen.
9. compLexity [poizon, blameF, oBo, k0nfig and RUSH] [NEW]
Recent form:
- HomeSweetHome: Week 3 (1st) [Online]
- HomeSweetHome: Week 4 (1st) [Online]
- HomeSweetHome: Week 6 (1st) [Online]
- HomeSweetHome: Week 7 (1st) [Online]
- HomeSweetHome: Week 8 (3rd-4th) [Online]
- DreamHack Masters Spring 2020: Europe (9th-12th) [Online]
- BLAST Premier: Spring 2020 European Finals (1st) [Online]
Bo3: mouz (DH EU) [Online], MAD (DH EU) [Online], Na’Vi (Blast EU Final) [Online], FaZe (Blast EU Final) [Online]
One map: FNC (DH EU) [Online]
When this line-up was formed they quickly became a meme. They are now firmly a dream and one many still cannot believe has come true. Winning a single event means a lot when it’s as big as the Blast Finals. Not only were they in the stacked European division, but the enormous scale of the tournament, allowing practically every top European team a chance to qualify, means taking the trophy is a serious accomplishment, online status or nay.
coL’s grinding over the last few months has been admirable and they more than deserve their unexpected but epic event win. They will have a lot of sceptics when we go offline again, but their Blast Spring group stage suggests they are not to be written off just yet.
Their resume of wins are nice and varied and their map pool means they should match up with a lot of bigger named teams better than you might imagine. They’re not one of the best teams in the world yet, but they’re certainly a fascinating story to follow and see where it will go next. The period from the last player break to this one could be a movie in itself.
8. Gen.G [BnTeT, autimatic, daps, s0m and koosta] [NEW]
Recent form:
- Flashpoint 1 (5th-6th) [Online]
- ESL One: Road to Rio – North America (1st) [Online]
- DreamHack Masters Spring 2020: North America (5th-6th) [Online]
- BLAST Premier: Spring 2020 American Showdown (4th) [Online]
- cs_summit 6 Online: North America (2nd) [Online]
Bo3: 100T (RR NA) [Online], EG (RR NA) [Online], EG (DH NA) [Online], 100T (summit NA) [Online], TL (summit NA) [Online]
One map:
With this line-up of players, Gen.G should seemingly always have been battling to grab a top 10 spot, but their start in Flashpoint was so underwhelming the project looked to be a dud beyond the tier two win at Dreamhack. Since then, Gen.G have been a much more dangerous prospect and adjusted their roles to become a team capable of beating anyone in their region.
A win at ESL Road to Rio and a second-place at cs_summit NA are no joke and put them in a great spot ahead of the major. With a number of the better Americas region teams ranked above them it’s not unreasonable to think they can maintain this kind of position going forwards. It will be very intriguing to see if they can stand up against the Europeans once fully international play returns.
A Class – Top teams, but not championship favorites
7. FaZe Clan [NiKo, coldzera, rain, broky and bymas] [-]
Recent form:
- ESL One: Road to Rio – Europe (3rd) [Online] [olof]
- DreamHack Masters Spring 2020: Europe (3rd) [Online]
- BLAST Premier: Spring 2020 European Finals (3rd) [Online]
- cs_summit 6 Online: Europe (11th) [Online]
Bo5:
Bo3: G2 (RR EU) [Online], mouz (RR EU) [Online], FNC (DH EU) [Online], Na’Vi (DH EU) [Online]
One map: G2 (RR EU) [Online]
FaZe have been the biggest tease of the last three months. Every time they look set to reach a final they fall apart right when it matters most. Still, even with the bymas experiment being undertaken with questionable individual results, FaZe have played like a team who now very much deserve A Class status. Three top-three finishes in a row is more than respectable and if they can find the right line-up there’s little to stop FaZe from cracking S Class in the near future.
6. Team Liquid [EliGE, Twistzz, NAF, nitr0 and Stewie] [-]
Recent form:
- ESL One: Road to Rio – North America (4th) [Online]
- DreamHack Masters Spring 2020: North America (2nd) [Online]
- BLAST Premier: Spring 2020 American Finals (4th) [Online]
- cs_summit 6 Online: North America (3rd) [Online]
Bo5:
Bo3: 100T (RR NA) [Online], 100T (DH NA) [Online], 100T (summit NA) [Online]
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One map: EG (Blast NA Final) [Online]
The underwhelming feeling surrounding Team Liquid stems from the lockdown having trapped them in NA, but also granted a lot of prize money to win with only teams from the Americas to beat. Once upon a time that would have been easy for TL, but they have not won a single event in months now. Despite never placing below fourth and once making a finals run, TL have dropped the ball and missed a real chance to both hold their spot as NA’s finest and challenge the European teams for an S Class spot.
With a number of other Americas teams returning to the rankings and climbing there will be chances for them to rack up a lot more ranked series wins, but TL look vulnerable when competitions reach the play-offs right now.
5. FURIA [KSCERATO, yuurih, arT, VINI and HEN1] [NEW]
Recent form:
- ESL One: Road to Rio – North America (2nd) [Online]
- DreamHack Masters Spring 2020: North America (1st) [Online]
- BLAST Premier: Spring 2020 American Showdown (1st-2nd) [Online]
- BLAST Premier: Spring 2020 American Finals (3rd) [Online]
- cs_summit 6 Online: North America (5th-6th) [Online]
Bo5: TL (DH NA) [Online]
Bo3: TL (RR NA) [Online], TL (RR NA) [Online], TL (DH NA) [Online], 100T (DH NA) [Online], TL (Blast NA Final) [Online]
One map: EG (EPL) [Online], EG (Blast NA Final) [Online], EG (summit NA) [Online]
When FURIA upset Astralis last year at ECS and made their strong run at that event few ever thought they could establish themselves as a legitimate top team. It took them a while, but the FURIA we see today are a special team. From their unique playing style to their ability to beat so many of the top teams in the Americas, FURIA are a team who are both a joy to spectate and a real heavy hitter in most of their games.
They’ve had their issues closing the deal in the deeper portions of tournaments, but their Dreamhack win and their consistent top-three finishes are worthy of respect and there appears to be real promise of going further.
S Class – Elite Teams
4. G2 Esports [kennyS, AmaNEk, JaCkz, nexa and huNter-] [+1]
Recent form:
- ESL One: Road to Rio – Europe (2nd) [Online]
- DreamHack Masters Spring 2020: Europe (2nd) [Online]
- BLAST Premier: Spring 2020 European Finals (5th-6th) [Online]
- cs_summit 6 Online: Europe (9th) [Online]
Bo5:
Bo3: FaZe (RR EU) [Online], Ast (DH EU) [Online], Na’Vi (DH EU) [Online], FNC (summit EU) [Online]
One map: mouz (RR EU) [Online], Na’Vi (Blast EU Final) [Online]
G2 climb a spot with their finals appearance at Dreamhack Masters and a respectable finish at the Blast finals. They are one of the teams that suffered from the long gap since the last edition of the rankings, as they could have possibly grabbed the top spot after Dreamhack. G2 might not be able to win a tournament, but their form has generally been impressive and while their resume is not too stacked with wins they should remain an elite side for a while.
3. Evil Geniuses [CeRq, Brehze, ethan, tarik and stanislaw] [+5]
Recent form:
- ESL One: Road to Rio – North America (7th-8th) [Online]
- DreamHack Masters Spring 2020: North America (7th-8th) [Online]
- BLAST Premier: Spring 2020 American Showdown (3rd) [Online]
- BLAST Premier: Spring 2020 American Finals (1st) [Online]
- cs_summit 6 Online: North America (1st) [Online]
Bo5:
Bo3: 100T (DH NA) [Online], TL (Blast NA Final) [Online], TL (summit NA) [Online], TL (summit NA) [Online]
One map: 100T (Blast Show NA)
New coach zews has helped rescue EG from their slumping form, with the line-up returning to the top tier and winning two titles in a row. tarik and company have a resume looking significantly better than the team they were even a couple of months ago. They have three series wins over rivals TL to show how they’ve changed their fortunes also.
Without the ability to compete in Europe or offline, EG will be hard-pressed to climb higher, essentially needing to be utterly dominant to even make a case for it, but they are already back where the strength of their line-up suggests they belong.
2. Vitality [ZywOo, apEX, shox, RpK and misutaaa] [NEW]
Recent form:
- ESL Pro League Season 11: Europe (7th-9th) [Online]
- ESL One: Road to Rio – Europe (4th) [Online]
- DreamHack Masters Spring 2020: Europe (7th-8th) [Online]
- BLAST Premier: Spring 2020 European Showdown (1st-2nd) [Online]
- BLAST Premier: Spring 2020 European Finals (2nd) [Online]
- cs_summit 6 Online: Europe (2nd) [Online]
Bo5:
Bo3: FNC (RR EU) [Online], FNC (Blast Show EU) [Online], G2 (Blast EU Final) [Online], Na’Vi (Blast EU Final) [Online], FaZe (Blast EU Final) [Online]
One map: Ast (EPL) [Online], G2 (RR EU) [Online], Na’Vi (DH EU) [Online], Ast (Blast Show EU) [Online]
You would be entirely forgiven for thinking ALEX’s self-benching was the end of Vitality’s time as a relevant world contender, especially with him giving no indication of wishing to return to the team and making it known he wished to pursue opportunities elsewhere. After ZywOo, most considered him the second most important piece in the team. It’s not that new man misutaaa has been exceptional or a big revelation, but more the impact play of shox, who is revitalised, and the team generally looking much better across the board.
Like fellow Frenchmen G2, Vitality have been cursed to reach finals but not win them, but the online era has been kind to them. That fourth-place finish at Road to Rio and a solid resume of series wins means their two finals appearances at notable events grant them the second spot in the world. Certainly, we must always factor in the online nature of the scene right now, but Vitality last year never went higher than second in the rankings. Says a lot about their improvement in form that they are right back where they used to be.
1. BIG [tabseN, XANTARES, syrsoN, k1t0 and tiziaN] [NEW]
Recent form:
- ESL Pro League Season 11: Europe (16th-18th) [Online]
- HomeSweetHome: Week 1 (1st) [Online]
- HomeSweetHome: Week 2 (1st) [Online]
- HomeSweetHome: Week 3 (2nd) [Online]
- LOOT.BET/CS Season 6 (3rd-4th) [Online]
- Merkur Masters Season 1 (1st) [Online]
- ESL Meisterschaft: Spring (2nd) [Online]
- DreamHack Masters Spring 2020: Europe (1st) [Online]
- cs_summit 6 Online: Europe (1st) [Online]
Bo5: G2 (DH EU) [Online]
Bo3: FNC (EPL) [Online], Na’Vi (EPL) [Online], MAD (DH EU) [Online], mouz (DH EU) [Online], FaZe (DH EU) [Online], FaZe (DH EU) [Online], FaZe (summit EU) [Online], FaZe (summit EU) [Online], FNC (summit EU) [Online]
One map: G2 (DH EU) [Online]
BIG are not a team that even participated in the Road to Rio, so you know they must have been putting in serious work to not only crack this rankings list but actually make it to the top spot immediately! In this time of online, how can you call BIG’s play anything but S Class? They have won two of the biggest recent tournaments, numerous smaller events and put a ton of wins up against squads like FNATIC and FaZe Clan. They even won a Bo5 over G2.
This is a much more powerful and consistent BIG than the team who famously made their Cologne finals run two years ago. Not only do they look set to continue battling for this tops pot, but they will be very much an exciting prospect when offline play returns.
A video featuring will becoming in a few days which summarises this top 10 and explains the placings in more detail and with more direct contrasts of teams competing for spots.
