Pro eSports teams are professional organizations that participate in the pro eSports gaming circuits. The eSports industry is a globally renowned phenomenon and a highly competitive sector. Most reputable tournaments offer sizeable prize earnings, and more and more people earn a living by competing in eSports teams.
On the other hand, Generation Y and Millennial fans consider numerous top eSports players as celebrities. To these individuals, eSports is just as legitimate as pro-level basketball and football. Betting on eSports is just as popular, and there are countless virtual eSports betting opportunities for new and returning players.
However, the most critical aspect of this industry is that eSports couldn’t be farther from a niche fad. It is improbable that this industry will wane and become old news by next year. The global interest in professional eSports ensures that the number of high-paying tournaments grows each year.
Consequently, there is much competition to provide a full-time competitive lifestyle. Considering everything mentioned previously, countless aspiring gamers and industry enthusiasts wonder about eSports’ most prominent names and earnings. Below is everything you should know.
Pro eSports Teams: The Biggest Names & Their Earnings To Date
You should keep in mind that eSports salaries differ according to the team and players within the squad. As a rule of thumb, teams pay each player no less than $12,500 for the entire season covering 28 matches. On the other hand, it’s possible to earn considerably more if you’re a player in a well-sponsored and frequently winning team. Here are the top-earning eSports teams as of 2021:
• Virtus Pro
• Fnatic
• Evil Geniuses
• Team OG
• Team Liquid.
Virtus Pro
This Russian eSports team has been around since 2003 and has become a household name in the eSports world. It has won over 100 gold, 170 silver, and 220 bronze medals in various professional competitions in its nearly two-decade-long career.
Thanks to more than 50 players on its roster, Virtus.pro has built a series of teams for different games. In September 2021, the organization added an all-woman team to compete in the rising Women’s eSports circuit.
When it comes to pro eSports teams, Virtus.pro’s top players and their earnings include Roman Kushnarev (RAMZES666) – $1,460,735.47, Alexei Berezin (Solo) – $1,491,602.14, and Vladimir Minenko (No[o]ne) – $1,527,802.14.
Simultaneously, the team’s top-earning games include Dota 2 ($10,202,985.11), CS:GO ($4,086,190.63), and Counter-Strike ($364,412.09). To date, Virtus.pro has participated in 546 tournaments and earned $16,008,141.26.
Fnatic
Most of the best players hail from Sweden, but Fnatic’s headquarters is in London, England. Some of the games where Fnatic frequently competes include League of Legends, Hearthstone, and Dota 2. However, this organization has assembled dedicated squads for a range of professional-level competitive games.
The founders behind Fnatic are son and mother, Sam and Anne Mathews. The duo founded the organization in 2004 after recognizing the potential of the global eSports industry.
When making Fnatic, which is today among the best pro eSports teams globally, the mother and son accepted players from different countries. In 2011, the organization’s LoL team won their first World Championship. This team still holds the record for the most LoL Championship Series split titles.
Simultaneously, the community considers the Fnatic CS team to be among the best of all time. Their laurels come from no less than three CS:GO Major titles. The organization’s top earners include Jesper Wecksell (JW) – $887,352.35, Freddy Johansson (KRiMZ) – $866,247.10, and Robin Ronnquist (flusha) – $817,114.72.
On the other hand, the team’s top games include CS:GO ($4,719,896.20), Dota 2 ($4,149,469.64), and LoL ($2,901,706.44). Fnatic’s total number of tournaments amounts to 967, and their total earnings are $16,253,243.71.
Evil Geniuses
This team’s origins trace back to 1999 Canada when Alexander Garfield founded the squad as a CS team. This eSports organization is predominantly North American and operates out of San Francisco, CALIFORNIA. Sumail Hassan is the team’s most successful player, who first started playing Dota in his homeland of Pakistan.
After Hassan’s father got a job in the USA, his son followed and joined EG in January 2015. One month later, EG won the Dota Asia Championships.
Interestingly, Amazon’s Twitch division owns GoodGame Agency, which is a subsidiary of Evil Geniuses. EG stands as one of the most famous pro eSports teams in the Dota circuit. It’s best and highest earning players include Sumail Hassan (SumaiL) – $3,570,225.34, Saahil Arora (UNiVeRsE) – $2,919,431.58, and Peter Dager (ppd) – $2,601,146.56.
The team’s top games include Dota 2 ($20,246,670.62), CS:GO ($987,950.00), and StarCraft II ($785,050.90). EG has participated in 887 tournaments to date, and earned a total of $24,668,338.49.
Team OG
Team Monkey Business was Team OG’s initial name. This European-based eSports organization went through re-branding in October 2015 but has maintained its Dota 2 specialization regardless. The Frankfurt Major 2015 served as the organization’s breakthrough event. OG beat Team Secret, CDEC Gaming, and Evil Geniuses to win the title.
A unique aspect of this organization is that they’ve earned all of their winnings from just over 50 tournaments. Therefore, Team OG are still novices when it comes to this list but have earned $34,550,723.59. Top players and their earnings include Johan SundsteinX (N0tail) – $6,753,622.23, Jesse Vainikka (JerAx) – $6,068,960.20, and Anthan Pham (ana) – $5,976,645.23.
Team OG also won five of the first ten tournaments it participated in, including the Manilla Major 2016 event. This win marked Team OG as the first squad in the game’s history to ever win two major tournaments. Consequently, this squad won $33,917,126.13 from Dota 2, $626,750.00 from CS:GO, and $6,847.46 from Super Smash Bros. Melee, making them one of the most successful pro eSports teams to date.
