From tech to gaming gear: The brands driving Counter-Strike Majors
Top-tier esports tournaments wouldn’t be possible without sponsor support. Gone are the days when organizers had to chase down benefactors for funding. Today, tech giants, hardware manufacturers, betting platforms, startups, and crypto exchanges are eager to leverage esports events as powerful vehicles for promoting their products and brands. In this article, Esports Charts takes a closer look at the sponsors behind post-COVID Majors, the flagship events anchoring today’s competitive Counter-Strike landscape.
Important note: This article specifically examines the sponsors featured on the official English-language broadcasts of the Majors. It does not include global tournament sponsors.
Betting
Esports is a high-stakes, fast-paced industry, so it’s no surprise that more and more betting platforms are looking to carve out a place in this growing entertainment space. Competition among these companies is fierce, and often, they end up covering a large share of the financial demands faced by tournament organizers.
Betting platforms have played a key sponsorship role in all recent Counter-Strike Majors. GG.BET sponsored the official English-language broadcasts of both PGL Major Stockholm 2021 and PGL Major Antwerp 2022. During the BLAST.tv Paris Major 2023, Unikrn took the spotlight. However, in the most recent tournaments, 1xBet has emerged as the dominant player in this category.
1xBet has been investing heavily for years to expand its footprint in the esports scene. Today, it's one of the industry's major players, not only serving as a key sponsor at Majors, but also hosting branded tournaments and sponsoring top-tier professional teams like MIBR, Aurora Gaming, and more.
Hardware
Technical support is a crucial part of any major esports tournament. This role is usually filled by hardware companies and computer peripheral manufacturers: without their equipment, running a competition would be nearly impossible. These partners provide organizers with PCs, monitors, mice, keyboards, headsets, and other necessary equipment. On the English broadcasts of Counter-Strike Majors, ZOWIE products have been a common sight. ESL teamed up closely with Intel and Lenovo for the IEM Rio Major 2022, while Alienware was the primary hardware partner for BLAST.tv Austin Major 2025.
The brands you see at a tournament often depend on the tournament organizer behind the event. PGL, for example, has its roster of partners that it collaborates with not only during Valve Majors but also for its own Counter-Strike and Dota 2 events. Other tournament organizers take a similar approach.
Furniture
Gaming furniture is another key component of any esports event. Gaming chair manufacturers are always eager to partner with major tournaments since their brands receive a lot of screen time. Whenever the camera focuses on a player or team, the branded chair is almost always visible front and center.
At Counter-Strike Majors, the primary furniture partner has most often been Singapore-based Secretlab. For more than a decade, their gaming chairs have appeared at tournaments across a wide range of esports titles, including major international events like the League of Legends World Championship and the Esports World Cup. Secretlab works not only with tournaments but also directly with pro teams: for instance, they’re an official partner of Team Vitality.
While Secretlab has long been a dominant player in the esports furniture space, they’re not without competition. Recently, Canadian startup BlackLyte, founded in 2021, has been making a strong push. Their chairs and desks were prominently featured on the broadcasts of BLAST.tv Austin Major 2025. BlackLyte partners with BLAST not just for the Valve Majors, but also for the BLAST Slam series in Dota 2 and BLAST Rivals 2025 in Counter-Strike. Lately, BlackLyte has been expanding its reach among pro teams, currently sponsoring Team Spirit and Fnatic.
Finance
Lately, the trend of crypto sponsorships in esports has taken a clear hit. A string of high-profile scandals — like those involving Team SoloMid and FTX — severely strained the relationship between the industries. As a result, top teams are now much more cautious about partnering with crypto projects, and some publishers even banned crypto sponsors from their tournaments until recently. That said, there are still plenty of exceptions to this trend.
A few years back, PGL heavily promoted the crypto exchange Bitget during the English broadcasts of PGL Major Stockholm 2021 and PGL Major Antwerp 2022. In 2025, the organizers of BLAST.tv Austin Major revisited the crypto space, partnering this time with NOVA Wallet, a developer of a cryptocurrency wallet.
In addition to crypto sponsors, Counter-Strike Majors also draw partnerships from various financial institutions. For instance, Itaú Unibanco, a Brazilian company offering a wide range of retail banking services — from loans to auto insurance — was one of the partners at the IEM Rio Major 2022.
Digital services
Another digital services partner at the Austin Major was Webroot, a company specializing in antivirus software and internet security. Viewers of the BLAST.tv Austin Major 2025 English broadcast saw their banner several times throughout the event. The same goes for Underdog, an online daily fantasy sports platform available as both a website and mobile app.
Oddin.gg, a partner of PGL Major Copenhagen 2024, can be mistakenly categorized as a betting sponsor, but it's not a betting or gambling platform itself. Instead, Oddin.gg operates on the B2B side, specializing in building esports betting ecosystems for other companies. By helping betting platforms enter and expand within the esports market, Oddin.gg demonstrates how sponsorship at esports events can be a strategic tool for fostering industry partnerships rather than targeting end consumers.
It’s also worth highlighting Esportal, a matchmaking platform, and FRAGNET, a company that offers paid game servers across multiple titles. PGL has been actively working with both partners, featuring their banners during the English broadcast of the Perfect World Shanghai Major 2024. Meanwhile, ESL featured promotions for the FACEIT platform throughout the some matches at IEM Rio Major 2022.
Food & Drinks
Energy drink brands are a common sight among sponsors at many esports tournaments. Their image perfectly matches the adrenaline, excitement, and competitive spirit that define the industry. Red Bull and Monster Energy are the most frequent sponsors, though local brands like Non-Stop have made their mark at events in Ukraine.
BLAST has organized two Counter-Strike Majors, with Red Bull sponsoring one event and Monster Energy the other. Interestingly, BLAST’s English-language broadcasts have also included alcohol ads — something you don’t often see in esports. For instance, during the BLAST.tv Paris Major 2023, the English broadcast showcased ads for Ballantine’s, Jameson, and ABSOLUT.
It’s important to note that alcohol ads remain relatively uncommon in esports. When alcohol is advertised, it’s usually beer — and often the emphasis is on non-alcoholic options.
Charity and Fundraising
Tournament organizers sometimes partner not just with big companies or brands, but also with nonprofit organizations and fundraising initiatives. For instance, during the BLAST.tv Paris Major 2023, BLAST collaborated with global healthcare leader Novo Nordisk to promote the Away From Keyboard campaign, the initiative aimed to encourage a healthy, balanced lifestyle.
At Austin Major 2025, BLAST teamed up with Movember, an Australian charity focused on men’s health. Movember supports those affected by prostate cancer and other male health issues. The organization has a longstanding connection with esports: many Counter-Strike commentators and analysts, along with others from various games, actively fundraise for the cause. Every November, involved people grow mustaches to raise awareness about men’s health challenges. The BLAST-Movember partnership is a powerful feel-good story and a shining example for other charities looking to engage with the esports community.
Other Sponsors
Esports tournament sponsors are usually endemic brands or companies focused on reaching a young audience. Still, the history of Counter-Strike Majors includes some rather unexpected partnerships that don’t follow this pattern. For example, ALPINE, a French sports car manufacturer, was a sponsor at BLAST.tv Paris Major 2023.
At IEM Rio Major 2022, the English broadcast featured sponsorship from DHL, the German international express delivery company. Interestingly, the U.S. military was also represented among the partners: viewers saw rotating banners highlighting the U.S. Air Force during the stream. This isn’t the first time the military has leveraged esports for image-building and even recruitment efforts.
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As the esports scene continues to evolve, the role of sponsors remains as crucial as ever, fueling the growth, innovation, and excitement that define every Major. From betting platforms and tech giants to gaming chair innovators and unexpected partners like luxury car brands and charitable organizations, the diverse landscape of sponsorship reflects just how dynamic and influential Counter-Strike Majors have become.
These partnerships not only provide essential support to organizers and players but also connect brands with a passionate, global audience that’s hungry for competition and entertainment. As the industry pushes forward, we can expect sponsorships to keep adapting, opening new doors for collaboration and creating fresh opportunities to engage fans worldwide.
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