The Top Esports Teams of 2024
2024 was packed with numerous moments that had many esports fans at the edge of their seats. From watching T1 win their fifth League of World Championship to OpTic rising back to the top of Call of Duty, esports fans were treated to many great moments and memories. Yet, despite all of these peak moments and challenging matches, there were teams that stood above the rest of their competition in 2024.
Here are the 10 best esports teams of 2024 that truly cemented their mark as a top esports team.
Disclaimer: These are not ranks which teams are better and worse. They are just the 10 best esports teams throughout 2024.
1. Team BDS — Rocket League
Team BDS were truly dominant throughout the 2024 Rocket League Pro Circuit. While their first five months of the year were troublesome, Team BDS pulled things together halfway through 2024 by dominating the European Open Qualifiers. That successful run through the open qualifiers turned into a strong performance at Esports World Cup 2024 before making their biggest step as the best team in Rocket League when they beat G2 Esports to win the Rocket League World Championships.
While all three players will not be competing in 2025 under the Team BDS tag, a majority of their lineup will now look to maintain their stronghold on Rocket League as members of Team Vitality. Still, all of their successes as Team BDS will not be forgotten.
2. EDward Gaming - VALORANT
They simply did what nobody expected them to get done. They led China to an international tournament victory and did it on the biggest stage, VALORANT Champions 2024. Heading into VALORANT Champions 2024, many people saw EDward Gaming as a dark horse to make a deep run on the Champions stage. However, nobody was expecting them to dominate in the way they did.
Additionally, EDward gaming have consistently been the best Chinese VALORANT team. Despite the various changes they have made to their lineup, they have found a way to maintain consistency in a game that is known for variability. That is something that needs to be celebrated and studied as the organization enjoys its time in the spotlight ahead of the 2025 VALORANT circuit.
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3. Gen.G - League of Legends
While they didn’t win the 2024 League of Legends World Championship, that does not take away the incredible year they had. Gen.G was the top contender throughout 2024. They won the LCK 2024 Spring Splt and MSI 2024. Additionally, they made it all the way to the semifinals of the 2024 LoL World Championship where they lost to the eventual winners, T1. While it is a bittersweet ending to 2024, their accomplishments throughout this year should be recognized as they were truly the best League of Legends team in the world at one point in 2024.
Hopefully, in 2025, Gen.G can finally get over their Worlds semifinals hurdle and make a deep run at the World Championships. For now, we can celebrate their accomplishments in 2024.
4. Gen.G - VALORANT
Gen.G might be the definition of consistency as this is their second entry on the list of top esports teams in 2024. Similarly, their VALORANT division did not win the biggest tournament in their respective game. In fact, they found themselves out at 9th place at VALORANT Champions 2024. However, their achievements all throughout the rest of 2024 were incredible for the Pacific region in VALORANT. Gen.G made it all the way to the Grand Final at VCT Masters Madrid, where they were one game away from victory. They then go on to become the first Pacific team to ever win a VALORANT international tournament at VCT Masters Shanghai.
So while their final tournament of the year was a disappointment, they spent the majority of the year as a team to beat and at one point were seen as VALORANT’s best team in the world.
5. Team Falcons - Dota 2
Team Falcons follow a similar route to Gen.G in that they were the team to beat all throughout the Dota 2 Pro Circuit before similarly falling in the semifinals at The International. Still, that does not take away from their incredible season in 2024. Team Falcons won a total of six Tier One events throughout 2024, alongside a respectable fourth-place finish at The International 2024. For the majority of 2024, no team could stop Team Falcons in Dota 2.
So, while they weren’t able to cap off their year with a victory at The International 2024, they were singlehandedly Dota 2’s most consistent team this year. For that, they deserve praise as one of the best esports teams of 2024.
6. Team Spirit - CS2
They ended their year by winning their first Counter-Strike 2 Major by taking down FaZe Clan. Apart from having the best player in CS2 right now in donk, they are simply just playing great CS. On top of their recent victory at Perfect World Shanghai Major 2024, they also won IEM Katowice 2024 at the start of 2024 in the most dominant fashion.
After starting and ending their year holding a trophy to a sea of cheering fans, it makes sense to have Team Spirit on this list as they have quickly reached the top of Counter-Strike. Now, the only question left to ask is if 2025 is the year where they turn their winnings into a championship dynasty.
7. OpTic Texas - Call of Duty
OpTic Texas is the only Call of Duty team on this list, and it's because they had the highest highs for any team in 2024. This past year, they won Call of Duty champs, which granted them a victory at the highest level after coming close in previous tournaments. They were simply a dominant force at the Call of Duty World Championships in 2024 and did so by taking down last year’s champions, the New York Subliners, in the Grand Final.
It’s only fitting to have Call of Duty’s most established brand here as the sole representative for Call of Duty on the top teams of 2024 list. It will be interesting to see how they can capitalize on their successes even more in 2025.
8. Team Liquid - Dota 2
After winning The International back in 2017, Team Liquid finally found their place back atop Dota 2 after taking down the Gaiman Gladiators and winning their second The International in 2024. Team Liquid’s results throughout 2024 weren’t incredibly dominant from a team that just won The International. However, Team Liquid prove that you do not need to be the best team for an entire year to be the best team at the biggest tournament.
However, their dominance truly came to fruition during The International 2024 playoffs, where they didn’t drop a single game en route to a championship trophy. That high level of play during the biggest Dota 2 tournament of the year is why they deserve an entry on this list.
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9. Natus Vincere - CS2
On top of winning PGL Major Copenhagen earlier this year in March, Natus Vincere was truly Counter Strike’s best team in 2024. They consistently found themselves towards the top of the HLTV standings while winning a handful of Tier One tournaments in 2024, such as the Esports World Cup, ESL Pro League Season 20, and IEM Rio 2024. Natus Vincere were a top team in CS2 ever since winning PGL Major Copenhagen 2024.
While their year ended somewhat anticlimactic at the Perfect World Shanghai Major, their entire body of work in 2024 was truly something special. Additionally, they did it all while switching things up with a multinational lineup, so for that, they are definitely a top esports team.
10. T1 - League of Legends
T1 were one game away from not even making it to the LoL 2024 World Championships. However, their performance at Worlds 2024 cements this team as one of the greatest dynasties to ever compete in League of Legends. While they weren’t the dominant force throughout 2024, T1 showcases their ability to win when it truly matters by winning their fifth World Champion and going back to back. This team is a top esports team in 2024 because of their lack of dominance. Yet, despite all of this, they found a way to prevail and step up to the pressure when everything was against them to find success
While this five-man core will be different going into 2025, this past year became a year to celebrate T1’s accomplishments in League of Legends. For now, we can celebrate the accomplishments of this core as 2024 solidified their legacy.
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Sage got his start in esports as a volunteer writer in 2016 for esports organization, Dignitas. Since then, he has continued to work on his craft as a journalist and reporter for a number of established esports publications, such as esports.gg, Unikrn, Akshon Esports, Howla, The Player’s Lobby, Nerd Street Gamers, and most recently Dot Esports. Now, as a member of Esports Illustrated’s content team, Sage’s primary duties are centered around creating groundbreaking written and video content about the esports industry that impacts the community in a meaningful way. Sage graduated from Rutgers University with a Bachelor’s degree in Information Technology and Informatics. There, he was a member of the Rutgers Esports Executive Board, both as the head of the fighting game community and a videographer/photographer for the Content team.