CS:GO fans have been treated to 19 Majors throughout the years, showcasing the finest players in first-person shooter history. Some of these matches have brought in huge viewing numbers, but four out of five of the most-watched matches have all starred one team.
Natus Vincere featured in the first, second, fourth, and fifth most-popular matches in Major history in terms of viewership, according to Esports Charts. In all four of these matches, they faced a different opponent, proving how enormous NAVI’s fanbase really is.
The most popular series in CS:GO Major history was the PGL Stockholm Major grand final in 2021. Peaking at 2.75 million viewers, NAVI triumphed over G2 Esports. The second in line was NAVI’s battle against FaZe Clan at the PGL Antwerp Major final in 2022, where the latter came out victorious. The fourth and fifth most-watched CS:GO Major matches were NAVI’s series against Gambit and FURIA at the PGL Major Stockholm in 2021 and the IEM Rio Major in 2022, respectively.
The only series in the top five that didn’t include NAVI is Vitality’s victory over GamerLegion in the BLAST.tv Paris Major, which took place on May 21 in the Accor Arena. The game boasted 1.53 million peak viewers and saw hometown favorites hoist the trophy.
Nothing could come close to NAVI’s match against G2 in the Stockholm Major. While it was a fantastic series with many close calls, it was also the first Major after the COVID-19 pandemic. Having a CS:GO Major after months of online competition almost certainly attracted thousands more viewers from around the world.
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It’s no wonder NAVI are so popular either. S1mple is arguably the best CS:GO player in history and that title comes with a big following.
It’s possible the next Major will break Stockholm’s incredible viewership numbers. The tournament, which is scheduled for March 2024, will be the first Major played on Counter-Strike 2.
