Riot Games dominated the esports conversation this week after opening its League partner-program window, a move that reshaped how teams plan their competitive calendars going into the fall. BLAST wasn't far behind, rolling out its September Counter-Strike tournament schedule and pushing fresh coverage of the Porto Open across its platforms.
ESL kept pace by staying embedded in that same September tournament ecosystem, ensuring the two organizers remain the backbone of the Counter-Strike calendar. On the team side, Team Liquid and G2 Esports both surfaced repeatedly in HLTV's September news archive, with G2 turning in a string of results that kept it in the spotlight. FaZe Clan also featured in that same competitive stretch, though its run included elimination news that tempered its momentum. 100 Thieves stayed visible through ongoing match schedules and results tracking, while Sentinels rode the wave of Riot's partner-program announcement to remain relevant heading into the new season. Cloud9 closed out the group, still recognized as a major American esports brand even as its recent activity generated less immediate buzz than its rivals.
Overall, the week underscored Riot and the Counter-Strike tournament circuit as the primary engines driving esports attention, with established North American organizations working to keep their rosters and storylines in the mix.
| # | Name | Score | 24h | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | B | BLAST | 90.8 | +0% |
| 2 | E | ESL | 85.7 | +0% |
| 3 | T | Team Liquid | 74.9 | +0% |
| 4 | G | G2 Esports | 69.6 | +0% |
| 5 | F | FaZe Clan | 64.1 | +0% |
| 6 | 1 | 100 Thieves | 58.5 | +0% |
| 7 | S | Sentinels | 53.7 | +0% |
| 8 | C | Cloud9 | 48.9 | +0% |