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What’s Your Weapon of Choice?
Almost every Counter-Strike 2 fan has dreamed of becoming a professional player. Big tournaments, huge crowds, and big salaries seem like the perfect life. But how much do CS2 organizations actually spend on their teams each month? Let’s look at the real numbers and expert opinions.
Team salaries in 2024
In 2024, analyst Alex “Mauisnake” Ellenberg shared salary estimates for top CS2 rosters. He did not name his sources, but noted that the numbers were widely known in the community. These amounts included all five players and their coach. Here’s how much teams were allegedly paying per month:
- Vitality — $220,000
- Falcons — $195,000
- FaZe — $190,000
- G2 — $180,000
- Liquid — $175,000
- Astralis — $165,000
- Heroic — $160,000
- NAVI — $155,000
- FURIA — $105,000
- Spirit — $100,000
- Virtus.pro — $100,000
- MOUZ — $95,000
- Complexity — $95,000
- ENCE — $92,000
- BIG — $75,000
- Eternal Fire — $50,000
- The MongolZ — $30,000
These figures were valid for 2024. But in 2025 the situation has changed.
2025: The Wage Gap Will Become Even Wider
In 2025, coach and analyst Aleksandar “kassad” Trifunovic revealed even more surprising details. After GamerLegion crushed Team Falcons 26-3 at PGL Bucharest 2025, he shared some information about the teams’ expenses:
“One Falcons player makes more in a month than the entire GamerLegion team makes in two months.”
The GamerLegion players are paid small salaries. According to kassad, the five GamerLegion players together probably make less than $30,000 per month.
On the other hand, each Falcons player makes around $30,000. Despite this, the Falcons still lost to a team with lower expenses.
Kassad also revealed on the Hot Take Point Made podcast that Nikola “NiKo” Kovac’s salary was over €60,000 per month back in 2023, and has likely increased since then. With performance bonuses and inflation taken into account, he’s likely earning closer to €70,000 now.
Lower Level Salaries: High Skill, Low Pay
You might think that all professional players make big money, but that’s not true for everyone. Kassad explained how much some young or second-tier players make:
- Oldřich “PR” Nový (GamerLegion) made €2.5k in MOUZ NXT
- He was going to sign a €3.5k deal with BLEED, but the deal fell through
- Erik “ztr” Gustafsson, Henrik “sl3nd” Hevesi and others probably make less than €5k each
Even when sl3nd was bought out of Endpoint for over $100,000, he didn’t get a big payday. The entire GamerLegion roster combined is under €30,000, according to kassad.
Owen “smooya” Butterfield also stated on the HLTV Confirmed podcast that Ilya “Perfecto” Zalutskiy was making at least $50,000 a month while sitting on the Cloud9 bench with a reduced salary.
Best and worst investments
- Teams with the best value for money:
- Spirit ($100k) won IEM Katowice 2024
- NAVI ($155k) won PGL Major Copenhagen 2024
- MOUZ ($95k) won ESL Pro League Season 19
These teams have achieved great results for their money.
- Teams with the worst value for money:
- Falcons ($195k) and Liquid ($175k) failed to qualify for the Major in early 2024 despite spending huge amounts of money.
Final thoughts
Salaries in CS2 vary greatly. Some teams invest wisely and achieve results. Others spend millions and get eliminated early. A big name does not always mean big results. At the same time, young and ambitious teams with low salaries, such as GamerLegion or The MongolZ, can still beat top opponents.
Money helps, but it does not guarantee victory. Talent, teamwork and preparation are still the most important components of success in Counter-Strike 2.
