Which were the top CS2 teams in 2023? Here is a recap of everything that happened this year.
2023 was a unique year for every Counter-Strike fan. Besides the many epic CS:GO tournaments, we finally saw the successor of one of Valve’s top games. Counter-Strike 2 arrived after several years of waiting, which meant fans had the chance to experience something new. Even though there are still a lot of bugs and Valve is trying to fix them, CS2 looks great, and it will inevitably become one of Valve’s most successful titles.
Considering all of this, it’s no surprise that the best CS2 teams also had a lot of things to do in 2023. We saw numerous amazing tournaments, but now that the BLAST Premier: World Final 2023 is over, the last big CS2 event for the year is also over. So, let’s learn more about some of the top CS2 teams in 2023 and see their results.
Top CS2 teams in 2023
People have different criteria for picking the best teams for a given year. We at ESTNN know that results are important, which is why our ranking is based on wins and overall performance throughout the year. With that said, let’s begin.
1st Place – FaZe Clan
Despite the fact that FaZe Clan was unable to win the BLAST Premier: World Finals 2023, the team takes first place when it comes down to the top CS2 teams in 2023. In their most recent event, FaZe reached the Grand Finals after dealing with loads of opponents. Unfortunately, the squad could not take down Team Vitality and lost the big final.
Aside from this event, FaZe Clan achieved some of the most impressive results out of any CS2 team in 2023. Starting with the Inte Grand Slam Season 4, the team won first place and it was miles ahead of the rest. The squad continues its dominance in the ESL Pro League Season 17 in March, followed by another impressive victory and Thunderpick World Championship 2023.
Faze Clan’s most recent success was the CS Asia Championship, where the team defeated MOUZ. As mentioned, the club was close to winning Blast’s World Finals too, but it failed short.
By the looks of it, 2024 will be a good year for one of the most successful CS2 teams in the world, so we can’t wait to see what will happen. Of course, we will make sure to cover every tournament that this team is a part of.
2nd Place – Team Vitality
Following the most recent success of this amazing CS2 team, a lot of people probably expected to see Team Vitality above the rest. While it’s true that the squad impressed us with its performance and it is definitely among the Best CS2 teams in 2023, we believe it deserves the 2nd place.
Speaking of the squad’s recent success. Vitality won the BLST Premier: World Final 2023 without dropping a single map. It won its matches in Group A and then defeated Natus Vincere, followed by FaZe Clan. The most interesting thing is that the clashes with FaZe Clan weren’t even close.
Apart from this event, Team Vitality won many other competitions in 2023. Starting with IEM Rio 2023, the squad also got the Blast.TV Paris Major 2023 trophy, as well as the prize from Gamers8 2023. On top of that, the club also defeated FaZe Clan at BLAST Premier: Fall Final 2023, the tournament before the World Final 2023.
Overall, there is no arguing this will be among the top CS2 Teams in 2023, and it will probably continue its dominance in 2024. Of course, we’re yet to see what the future holds for this world-class squad.
3rd Place – MOUZ
When discussing the best CS2 teams 2023, we also need to add MOUZ to the list. A lot of people think that this squad should not be in the top 3 of the top CS2 teams for 2023, but we’ve been following its results and playstyle all year round. Therefore, we think that the club definitely deserves the third place.
MOUZ’s most recent performance was not bad because the team got 3rd/4th place at Blast’s World Final. It was able to survive in Group B and even defeat Could9 in the quarterfinals. Sadly, the squad could not do that against FaZe Clan and lost in the semifinals.
In terms of MOUZ’s biggest success of 2023, it has to be the victory at ESL Pro League Season 18. Even though the team was not the favorite, it defeated Natus Vincere in the final and lifted the trophy. Sadly, the club wasn’t able to win any big tournaments before that, so we hope that things will change in 2024.
4th Place – ENCE
The 4th place in the top CS2 teams in 2023 list goes to ENCE, a team that is in a very similar position to MOUZ in many ways. Unlike the squad we’ve just talked about, ENCE wasn’t able to show its prowess in the latest event and finished last in Group A.
Having said that, the team deserves to be among the best CS2 teams in 2023 because of its results throughout the year. Despite only winning the IEM Dallas 2023, Ence got second at IEM Cologne 2023 and Gamers8 2023, The latter was definitely the most intriguing event because it almost defeated its powerful opponent.
Considering the several second places and the team’s success at IEM Dalals 2023, we expect ENCE to step up its game in 2024. There will be a lot of amazing tournaments to follow and we will cover all of them.
Final Thoughts – Best CS2 Teams in 2023
Besides the big 4, a few other names also deserve to be on the list for the best CS2 teams in 2023. The list consists of G2 Esports, Complexity, Natus Vincere, and even Monte. All of them have world-class players and will try to win as many events as possible in 2024.
