Power Rankings: Top 10 CS2 Teams in the World Right Now (Places 10-6)
The second full season in CS2 has kicked off, and the balance of power has shifted significantly after two major tournaments. When creating this top list, we relied on ESL and HLTV rankings while also considering each team’s current form. Let’s break down the successes, challenges, and future prospects of these teams.
10. SAW
- HLTV — 10th place
- ESL — 11th place
With the start of the CS2 era, particularly in 2024, SAW has consistently shown strong performances against top 10 teams. Their peak achievement was during the BLAST Premier Spring Showdown. In the last-chance stage, two LAN finals spots were up for grabs among 16 contenders, including Cloud9, HEROIC, Monte, Complexity, Liquid, and Falcons. SAW’s top-2 finish was a significant milestone, putting the Portuguese squad on the community’s radar.
Their performance at the LAN event in London was less than ideal, but the experience brought them closer to the tier-1 scene, allowing them to feel like a top team. During the summer break, they made a key change, bringing in veteran CS1.6 player BERRY as their coach. His impact was immediately noticeable at IEM Cologne 2024, where they upset G2 2-0 in their opening match, then beat The Mongolz to reach the arena stage. They even challenged NAVI for a semifinal spot, taking Nuke from them. Nuke has become SAW’s signature map, and as everyone knows, it’s one of the most team-oriented maps, requiring excellent coordination and preparation. This is precisely where SAW shines, and they could easily crack the top-3 in terms of structure, trailing only NAVI and MOUZ. Their outstanding teamwork also led to a victory over FaZe at the Lanxess Arena, causing problems for all top-tier teams.
The current foundation of the team allows them to play with confidence, and their top-3 finish in Cologne should only bolster that. Young talents like story, ewjerkz, and arrozdoce are excelling individually, while veterans MUTiRiS and roman pass down their 14 years of experience. Teams will study their demos closely, making it tougher for them in upcoming tournaments. While competing at tier-1 events might still be a stretch, they have a real shot at qualifying for the Shanghai Major and ESL Challenger Atlanta, which could potentially lead to their first trophy.
9. Team Liquid
- HLTV — 8th place
- ESL — 13th place
Liquid was one of the most talked-about teams during the summer transfer window. Several big changes in their roster raised many questions and doubts. They appointed one of the best riflers as the new captain, signed a young Polish AWPer with no tier-2 experience, and brought back jks. The latter was the only seemingly positive move, but it was interesting to see how he and NAF would share roles.
Their first tournament was the IEM Cologne Play-In, where they immediately showcased the work they had put in. The team also brought in a new coach, another Danish veteran from the old CS school, mithR. It’s likely his influence that helped the team quickly find synergy, allowing them to click almost perfectly from the start. The AWPer ultimate has been given a lot of freedom, playing aggressively to gain advantages, while Twistzz’s aim hasn’t dropped off, and jks and NAF are solid in their roles. The team was just a step away from reaching the arena stage, narrowly losing a comeback from 3:12 to FaZe, which would’ve been a remarkable result for the new roster. The big question now is whether this was a honeymoon phase or if the team will continue to improve. Some teams mentioned they couldn’t prepare for Liquid due to the lack of official matches, so it’ll be interesting to see how they perform moving forward. Either way, they currently look more promising than the previous lineup with cadiaN, and it seems like Twistzz could indeed become a solid IGL.
8. Astralis
- HLTV — 9th place
- ESL — 8th place
Astralis once again assembled the best players in Denmark, eliminating their direct competitor HEROIC by forcing them into an international roster. However, results have been elusive. Under the leadership of device and following blameF’s departure, the team has certainly grown stronger, but they haven’t progressed beyond the semifinals. Frankly, the team lacks energy and a driving force. Watching their in-game expressions, there’s no sense of confidence, even after winning rounds, and their emotional state seems like a major issue. Stavn and jabbi, for instance, previously played with the explosive cadiaN, who could fire up the team, while device, having already achieved everything, may struggle to do the same.
A few victories over tier-1 teams and solid performances against tier-2 teams aren’t what the organization expects. That said, after four trophy-less years, this level of stability is already a success. For Astralis, it seems like they’re stuck, though they’re unlikely to drop from the rankings, given the quality of their players. With no obvious roster changes available, it complicates their situation further. Perhaps they should bring in a new coach, and if they can move past old grudges, bringing cadiaN in behind the players could be an intriguing development. This would relieve jabbi and stavn of the guilt over their controversial departure and inject some much-needed energy. Kasper Møller might just be willing to let bygones be bygones.
7. Virtus.pro
- HLTV — 7th place
- ESL — 7th place
The signing of electroNic was hailed as a masterstroke, but over time, it’s shaping up to be a major disappointment. Despite spending over $1,000,000, the team hasn’t made progress in terms of results, and they’ve seemingly lost their identity while rumors of internal issues persist. After their poor showing at IEM Cologne 2024, talk of “changes” in VP began to swirl, though it’s unclear what they might entail. Some might argue that being ranked 7th in the world is decent, but with such an investment, you expect improvement, and so far, we’ve seen nothing of the sort. The coach change was supposed to help them find a new playstyle, but Xoma seems to have become a third voice in the team, alongside electroNic and Jame. Instead of balance and focus on a new style, VP now looks disorganized, and the team itself seems unsure of how they want to play.
The biggest issue is that they’re at a dead end (much like Astralis, there’s no one left to replace). Rumors suggest n0rb3r7 might once again be on the chopping block, with Perfecto potentially coming in, but it’s unclear how that would fix things if the problem isn’t with individual player performance. FL1T and fame are on long-term contracts and are among the best riflers in the world, so they won’t be replaced. Even replacing electroNic seems like the more logical solution, but we all know that’s never going to happen, leaving everyone scratching their heads on how to resolve the situation. We’ll see what Virtus.pro comes up with, but honestly, the team’s future looks bleak, and even their Major qualification is in doubt, let alone winning championships.
6. FaZe Clan
- HLTV — 6th place
- ESL — 5th place
FaZe has been one of the most stable teams in recent years, but they’re slowly losing ground, which is concerning. Reaching the playoffs has become increasingly difficult for them, and it feels like their momentum is running out. After the summer break, the players don’t look fresh, and their game seems to rely heavily on individual skill and confidence from past achievements. It’s tough to predict their future, as these players can always step up, like their comeback against Liquid in Cologne. However, relying solely on their past successes won’t sustain them for long, so they need to start working on something new. Perhaps a slight role adjustment or the introduction of fresh ideas could give them the shake-up they need.
Can they find the motivation to keep working with this same roster after so many successful years? It’s uncertain, but it’ll be fascinating to see. Replacing karrigan alone won’t fix things, and if FaZe can’t find a solution, we may see several top-tier players hit the market after the Shanghai Major, ready to strengthen other teams.