The top 10 esports orgs in the world in 2022

December 29, 2022

by Brian Bencomo

Which esports organization is the best in the world? If you’re searching for an answer based purely on competitive results, Nerd Street’s got it covered.

Using a points metric, Nerd Street’s monthly rankings seek to objectively quantify the best orgs across all esports for 2022 by measuring success in 10 games: League of Legends, VALORANT, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, Rocket League, Apex Legends, Dota 2, Rainbow Six: Siege, Call of Duty, Overwatch and Halo.

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In our system, orgs are awarded points based on their finishes in various international and domestic competitions. Since every esport has a distinct league and tournament structure, it might take 1,000 words just to explain the full breakdown for each -- and let’s be honest, you’re mostly here for the ranking anyway. Loosely speaking, though, winning a world championship earns the highest number of points; reaching a final or making the playoffs in a major international tournament is worth a decent amount; qualifying for an international event also scores some points; and performing well at a regional competition will result in a few points, but doesn’t hold nearly as much weight.

Read more: The Esports Awards 2022 winners

Oftentimes, orgs field outstanding teams in only a single game -- think Sentinels in VALORANT in 2021, or T1 in League of Legends seemingly always. But the truly great orgs have teams that are competitive in, and win titles, in multiple esports. After monthly updates throughout the year, these were the very best esports orgs in the world in 2022.

1. OpTic Gaming

Photo credit: Riot Games

OpTic Gaming climbed over FaZe Clan to take the top spot in Nerd Street’s ranking after winning the Halo World Championship in October and finished the year there. OpTic have been the kings of FPS games in 2022. In addition to their Halo championship, OpTic won a Halo Major, a Call of Duty League Major and VALORANT Masters: Reykjavík, which is the equivalent of a Major in VALORANT. They almost won VALORANT’s world championship, but finished second to LOUD at VALORANT Champions.

Since OpTic’s merger with Envy late last year, the rankings also take into account the performance of the Overwatch League’s Dallas Fuel. The Fuel became the Overwatch League 2022 champions in winning the grand finals. They also won the Summer Showdown, which was one of the league’s three tournaments held prior to the playoffs. With titles in four different first-person shooter (FPS) games, OpTic have established themselves not only as the premier FPS org but the best esport org in the world this year.

2. FaZe Clan

Photo credit: PGL

FaZe Clan have been neck and neck with OpTic Gaming for most of the second half of the year in Nerd Street’s ranking of the best esports orgs in the world in 2022 -- primarily on the strength of their CS:GO team during the first half of the year. FaZe won the first Major of the year in Antwerp, and won the next two biggest tournaments in IEM Katowice and IEM Cologne. They also won ESL Pro League Season 15 and finished second at the Blast Fall Finals.

Atlanta FaZe didn’t win any titles in Call of Duty League this year but still had a very strong season, collecting second-place finishes in three of the four Majors and finishing as the runner-up at the CDL Championship, aka Champs. FaZe’s Rocket League team also had a solid season despite a lack of titles. They were a semifinalist at the RLCS World Championship and finished top four at the Winter Major.

3. G2 Esports

Photo credit: Psyonix

It’s hard to think of G2 in 2022 without thinking about their former CEO Carlos “Ocelote” Rodriguez and the fallout from his partying with Andrew Tate, which reportedly cost the org a spot in Riot Game’s premier VALORANT esports circuit in 2023. However, G2’s esports teams have been among the best in the world, and the org has been up there with FaZe and OpTic Gaming when it comes to winningest orgs this year.

G2’s League of Legends team competed at the League of Legends World Championship in October, and the org’s LoL team also qualified for the Mid-Season Invitational in May, where they reached the semifinals. They were the champions of Europe in the spring and runners-up in the summer. Besides League of Legends, G2’s next best game this year has been Rocket League. They won the RLCS Winter Major and finished second at the RLCS World Championship this summer. G2 finished the year strong with G2 Gozen winning the VALORANT Game Changers Championship in November. Plus, the org finally won an S-Tier CS:GO title -- the Blast World Finals in December -- for the first time in five years after a series of runner-up finishes the past few years including at IEM Katowice early in 2022.

4. Team Liquid

Photo credit: ESPAT

“Always the bridesmaid, never the bride” is an apt descriptor for Team Liquid this year. TL have finished second at major Apex Legends, CS:GO and Rainbow Six tournaments this year: the ALGS Split 2 Playoffs, ESL Pro League Season 16, Blast World Finals and the Jönköping Major. Despite the lack of titles, Team Liquid are this high in the rankings because they have been consistently good in pretty much every game they compete in, and the org fields teams in most of the major esports. They made the playoffs at VALORANT Masters: Reykjavík, VALORANT Champions, the ESL Pro League Season 15, the Rainbow Six Invitational, the Rainbow Six Charlotte Major and the League Championship Series. Plus, they were top eight at the Rocket League Championship Series Spring Major.

5. FURIA

Photo credit: Psyonix

This Brazilian org has put up strong results in Rainbow Six: Siege, CS:GO, and Apex Legends in 2022. FURIA made the playoffs at the Rainbow Six Invitational and PGL Major Antwerp as the top CS:GO team from the Americas. In Apex Legends, they put up the most points in the finals of the ALGS Championship, ultimately coming in second. Plus, FURIA qualified for VALORANT Champions.

Rocket League, though, is where they have shined all year. FURIA finished top six at both the RLCS Winter and Spring Majors and won the $2 million Gamers8 Rocket League tournament that took place in July. They were a semifinalist at the RLCS World Championship. It was their best-ever finish at an RLCS event and it included a stunning victory in the quarterfinals over Spring Major champ Moist Esports.

6. Cloud9

Photo credit: Carlton Beener / ESL Gaming via ESPAT

The North American standard bearer in League of Legends went to Worlds for the ninth time in 10 years in 2022. Despite a lackluster performance on the international stage, C9 were still domestic champs after winning the LCS summer split. In CS:GO, the org emphatically announced its return to the scene by winning IEM Dallas in June. It’s the org’s biggest title this year and first S-tier CS:GO title since famously winning the Boston Major in 2018. Like Atlanta FaZe in Call of Duty, Cloud9 were the constant runners-up in Halo. C9 finished second at both Halo Majors this year and the world championship.

7. Fnatic

Photo credit: Riot Games

This European organization has solidified its spot in Nerd Street’s top 10 based on the strength of the org’s VALORANT and Dota teams. In VALORANT, Fnatic qualified for both Masters events and VALORANT Champions. They were regional champs during Stage 2 of the European VCT season and finished top four at Masters: Copenhagen. Fnatic also qualified for both Dota Majors this year and Dota’s season-ending championship: The International 2022. Fnatic’s Apex Legends team is worth mentioning too for finishing top four at the ALGS Championship.

8. Natus Vincere

Photo credit: Adela Sznajder / ESL Gaming via ESPAT

NAVI have been the second-best CS:GO team in the world this year. They won the Blast Spring Finals and finished second to FaZe at two of the biggest tournaments of the year: the Antwerp Major and IEM Cologne. NAVI’s Rainbow Six squad also did well at the Rainbow Six Invitational earlier this year and the org’s Halo team qualified for the HCS Orlando Major and the world championship.

9. TSM

Photo credit: Ubisoft / Kirill Vision

TSM’s claim to fame this year is winning the Rainbow Six Invitational, the most important event of the year in R6. Their Dota team has acquitted itself well, too, finishing second at ESL One Stockholm, the first Dota Major of the year. And in Apex, TSM reached the finals at both the ALGS Split 2 Playoffs and the ALGS Championship.

10. 100 Thieves

Photo credit: 100 Thieves

100 Thieves had an incredible August. The org’s Call of Duty team, the Los Angeles Thieves, won the Call of Duty Championship, and both 100 Thieves’ League of Legends and VALORANT teams qualified for their respective world championships. It was widely expected that 100 Thieves would qualify for League of Legends Worlds, but their VALORANT team qualifying for VALORANT Champions was a huge accomplishment considering the team’s rebuild this year. That same VALORANT team (plus one offseason change) helped 100 Thieves climbed back into the top 10 to end the year with a win at Red Bull Home Ground #3, a prominent offseason VALORANT tournament.

Read more: LA Thieves win Call of Duty Champs

The next 10

DRX are firmly in the next 10 after winning the League of Legends World Championship in an incredible Cinderella run to the final. The org also finished third at VALORANT Champions this fall to bolster their place in the rankings. LOUD were the winners of VALORANT Champions and Brazil’s representative at the League of Legends World Championship. Two European orgs have stood out late in the year, Team BDS and Rogue. BDS won Rocket League’s RLCS World Championship this summer, and the org’s Rainbow Six team won the Jönköping Major this fall. Rogue made a strong run late in the year, winning the Rainbow Six Berlin Major and the League of Legends European Championship summer playoffs. They also were the only Western team to reach the playoffs at League of Legends Worlds. Finally, Gen.G cracks the next 10 following a dominant fall season in Rocket League that they capped by winning the RLCS Fall Major.

11. Spacestation Gaming

12. NRG

13. Team BDS

14. Evil Geniuses

15. DRX

16. LOUD

17. Chiefs

18. Rogue (includes London Royal Ravens)

19. Royal Never Give Up

20. Gen.G

Lead photo credit: Helena Kristiansson / ESL Gaming via ESPAT