The summer of Counter-Strike has been packed with excitement, with numerous high-profile tournaments taking place across London, Cologne, Copenhagen, and Riyadh. Over the past three months, top teams showcased their skills and entertained audiences, collectively amassing over 10 million hours of viewership this season.
As expected, Natus Vincere (NAVI) emerged as the most-watched Counter-Strike team of summer 2024. NAVI had a busy season, reaching the finals in three major tournaments: BLAST Premier: Spring Final 2024, Esports World Cup 2024, and IEM Cologne 2024.
Artyom Odintsov, co-founder and CEO of Esports Charts, shared with Forbes.ua: “NAVI’s summer season broke all previous records. Their strong showing in IEM Cologne, where they reached the final, and their success at the Esports World Cup were key factors in their outstanding performance. These two events alone accounted for over 60% of NAVI’s total summer views in CS2 competitions.”
In addition to dominating viewership, Natus Vincere also led in prize money and peak online viewership, the latter being shared with Team Vitality.
Team Vitality
Team Vitality ranked second thanks to a strong summer led by Dan ‘apEX’ Madesclaire. They won IEM Cologne 2024 and topped their group in BLAST Premier: Fall Groups 2024, earning 16.1 million hours watched, with 41% of that coming from their matches in Cologne.
G2 Esports secured third place with 14.5 million hours watched. Key highlights include a win at IEM Dallas 2024 and a second-place finish at the Esports World Cup 2024. The team’s viewership also surged due to significant roster changes, including the departure of nexa and HooXi and the arrival of malbsMd and Snax, boosting G2’s Average Viewers by 15%.
Rounding out the top five were Team Spirit and FaZe Clan, though neither surpassed 10 million hours watched. Team Spirit shone at BLAST Premier: Spring Final 2024, which accounted for half their viewership. FaZe Clan’s most notable event was IEM Cologne 2024, where they reached the quarterfinals.
Virtus.pro accumulated 7.2 million hours watched despite not securing major wins, participating in six different tournaments, the most of any team in the ranking. Their viewership was primarily driven by their performances at BLAST Premier: Spring Final 2024 and Esports World Cup 2024.
Brazil
The Brazilian team FURIA Esports led the rankings with 6.9 million hours watched, playing 26 official matches—the most among any team. They were followed by Natus Vincere and Astralis, each with 18 matches.
MOUZ, one of Europe’s oldest esports organizations, finished just behind FURIA, despite competing in only three tournaments: Esports World Cup 2024, IEM Cologne 2024, and BetBoom Dacha Belgrade 2024 #2. They consistently placed in the top 3-4.
Team Liquid ranked ninth with just 10 official matches. Their standout performance came at BLAST Premier: Fall Groups 2024, generating over 2.3 million hours watched. Like G2, Team Liquid underwent significant roster changes, adding new players and a coach, which doubled their average viewership between IEM Dallas and BLAST Premier: Fall Groups 2024.
Rounding out the top ten was Astralis, with 5.3 million hours watched. Despite playing numerous games, Astralis didn’t achieve standout results, with their best finish being 3rd-4th at YaLLa Compass 2024.