G2 Esports has grown from a League of Legends project founded by former professional player Carlos «ocelote» Rodríguez into one of the most recognizable esports organizations in the world. Since its beginnings as Gamers2 in 2014, G2 has won major trophies across League of Legends, Counter-Strike, Rainbow Six Siege, VALORANT and other games while building a global fanbase around its distinctive brand.

From Gamers2 to G2 Esports

The history of G2 Esports began in 2014 with Carlos «ocelote» Rodríguez, one of the best-known European League of Legends players of the early 2010s.

After competing for organizations including SK Gaming, ocelote began building his own team under the name Gamers2.

The initial goal was straightforward but difficult: qualify for Europe’s top League of Legends competition.

Gamers2 spent more than a year trying to reach the EU LCS before finally securing promotion in 2015. Around the same period, the organization shortened its name to G2 Esports, establishing the identity that would become known across multiple games.

The League of Legends team immediately justified the investment.

G2 becomes a European League of Legends powerhouse

G2 entered the EU LCS in 2016 and won the championship in its first split.

The organization followed that achievement with another title in the Summer Split, beginning a period in which G2 became one of the dominant forces in European League of Legends.

Its most important roster was assembled ahead of the 2019 season.

G2 brought in former Fnatic star Rasmus «Caps» Winther and moved Luka «Perkz» Perković from mid lane to AD carry. Alongside Wunder, Jankos and Mikyx, the lineup became one of the strongest teams Europe had produced.

In May 2019, G2 won the Mid-Season Invitational, defeating Team Liquid 3-0 in the final.

It was a historic result. G2 became the first European organization to win MSI and gave the region its first Riot-operated global title in years.

Later that season, G2 reached the 2019 League of Legends World Championship final in Paris.

A victory would have completed an extraordinary year, but FunPlus Phoenix defeated G2 3-0.

Despite falling one series short of the Summoner’s Cup, the 2019 roster remains one of the most successful European teams in League of Legends history.

G2 continued winning domestic championships in the following years and remained one of the flagship organizations of European League of Legends.

Building a Counter-Strike contender

Counter-Strike became another central part of the G2 identity.

The organization entered CS in 2015 and gradually assembled a series of international and French-speaking rosters featuring players such as shox, kennyS, bodyy and apEX.

Results came, but G2 spent years searching for a lineup capable of consistently winning the biggest tournaments.

The organization later shifted toward an international roster.

One of its most important moves came in 2020 when G2 signed Bosnian star Nikola «NiKo» Kovač from FaZe Clan.

NiKo became the centerpiece of the Counter-Strike project, and the arrival of Ilya «m0NESY» Osipov from NAVI Junior at the beginning of 2022 added one of the game’s most promising young players.

The combination eventually produced trophies.

Breaking the trophy drought

G2 ended 2022 by winning the BLAST Premier World Final in Abu Dhabi.

The title was especially significant because the organization had gone years without winning a major international LAN event in Counter-Strike.

The momentum continued into 2023.

G2 won IEM Katowice, one of Counter-Strike’s most prestigious tournaments, after defeating HEROIC in the grand final.

Several months later, the team added another elite trophy at IEM Cologne 2023, beating ENCE in the final.

Winning both Katowice and Cologne in the same year placed G2 among a small group of teams capable of capturing Counter-Strike’s most prestigious non-Major events.

A Major title, however, remained missing.

That changed after another major rebuild.

G2 finally wins a Counter-Strike Major

G2’s Counter-Strike roster changed significantly during the transition deeper into the CS2 era.

NiKo eventually left the organization, while m0NESY also moved on as G2 entered another rebuilding period.

The team nevertheless remained internationally competitive and, in 2025, won BLAST Open London.

The defining moment arrived in 2026.

At the IEM Cologne Major 2026, G2 completed the achievement that had escaped the organization throughout its Counter-Strike history: winning a Major.

G2 defeated FURIA in the grand final to claim its first Counter-Strike Major championship.

The trophy carried additional significance because Cologne had already been one of the most important locations in G2’s CS history. Three years after winning IEM Cologne 2023, the organization returned to the city and captured the biggest title available in the game.

After more than a decade in Counter-Strike, G2 finally had a Major trophy.

Rainbow Six brings another world championship

Counter-Strike and League of Legends are G2’s most visible divisions, but some of the organization’s biggest achievements have come elsewhere.

G2 entered Rainbow Six Siege in 2018 by signing the dominant PENTA Sports roster.

The move produced immediate success.

G2 won the Six Major Paris 2018 and later captured the Six Invitational 2019, establishing the team as one of the greatest lineups in Rainbow Six history.

Years later, G2 returned to the top.

At the Six Invitational 2023, the organization defeated w7m esports in the grand final to become world champion again.

The result made G2 the first organization to win two Six Invitational titles.

Entering VALORANT

G2 also became involved in VALORANT almost immediately after Riot launched the game in 2020.

Its original European roster dominated the game’s early competitive period, winning several Ignition Series tournaments.

G2 later attempted to join Riot’s partnered VCT ecosystem in the Americas and eventually acquired the competitive slot connected to The Guard’s successful Ascension roster.

The move gave G2 a place in VCT Americas for the 2024 season.

The team quickly became an international contender.

G2 finished third at Masters Shanghai 2024 and qualified for VALORANT Champions.

The following seasons brought even bigger results, turning the organization into one of the leading teams in the Americas despite its European origins.

VALORANT consequently became another game in which G2 developed from an early adopter into a serious international championship contender.

More than one game

G2’s expansion has never been limited to its three most recognizable divisions.

The organization has competed in titles including Rocket League, Fortnite, Apex Legends, sim racing and multiple other esports.

It also made a significant move into women’s esports through G2 Gozen, its VALORANT Game Changers roster.

Gozen won the VALORANT Game Changers Championship 2022, becoming the first world champion of Riot’s international Game Changers circuit.

The victory added another global title to G2’s collection and made Gozen one of the organization’s most successful projects.

The end of the ocelote era

The organization also went through a major leadership change in 2022.

Carlos Rodríguez stepped down as CEO and later left G2 following controversy surrounding a social media video and subsequent disciplinary action.

His departure ended the era in which G2 had been closely associated with its founder’s public personality.

Alban Dechelotte became CEO in 2023 and led the organization into its next phase.

G2 continued expanding internationally, competing across Europe, North America and Asia while developing its commercial and entertainment operations alongside its esports teams.

G2 Esports in 2026

By 2026, G2 had been competing under its current identity for more than a decade.

During that period, the organization developed championship teams in several completely different esports.

Its League of Legends division became one of the most successful in European history.

Its Counter-Strike project won Katowice, Cologne and eventually a Major.

Its Rainbow Six teams became world champions twice.

G2 Gozen won the first international VALORANT Game Changers Championship, while the organization’s VCT project developed into an international contender.

That range of achievements separates G2 from organizations whose histories are tied primarily to one game.

From Gamers2 to a global esports brand

G2 started with one former professional player trying to qualify his own League of Legends team for Europe’s top competition.

More than a decade later, the organization has competed on some of the biggest stages in esports.

• MSI 2019.
• IEM Katowice 2023.
• IEM Cologne 2023.
• Six Invitational 2019 and 2023.
• VALORANT Game Changers Championship 2022.
• IEM Cologne Major 2026.

There have also been major defeats. G2 came within one series of winning the League of Legends World Championship in 2019 and spent years pursuing a Counter-Strike Major despite repeatedly assembling expensive international rosters.

Those failures became as much a part of the organization’s identity as its trophies.

From Gamers2 in 2014 to a global organization competing across several continents, G2 Esports has developed into one of the defining European esports brands of the modern era.