Report reveals the salaries of Astralis' star players
According to a report by Danish website
BT.dk, Astralis’ players earn hundreds of thousands of dollars in salary each year, even before winning prize money from their in-game performance.
While the salaries of professional CSGO players have long been a mystery, BT.dk caught a glimpse of what esports’ top players are paid. The report places the salaries of Astralis’ players at $364,000 USD each year, before any tournament winnings. According to the report, Astralis’ pro players take home 90% of any tournament winnings they earn. That means Andreas “Xyp9x” Højsleth, Lukas “gla1ve” Rossander, Peter “dupreeh” Rasmussen, Nicolai “dev1ce” Reedtz, and Emil “Magisk” Reif took home somewhere around $750,000 USD for their stellar 2019.
That’s a massive paycheck to play CSGO, especially since Cloud9 president Dan Fiden once stated that CSGO loses the organization millions of dollars each year due to the way current CSGO pro contracts work.
Astralis was the winningest team of 2019 by far, followed by Team Liquid. Given either team’s position as the best in their region, it’s likely that the salaries are similar. But unless a player gets a spot on a top team, it’s unlikely their salaries or total take-home pay gets anywhere near Astralis’. With nearly half of their total take-home coming from tournament winnings, second-tier teams competing in tournaments with lower prize pools would stand no chance to reach Astralis’ pay grade.
But as Counter-Strike’s second rung of tournaments increasing in popularity thanks to competitions like WINNERS League and the Mountain Dew League the salary gap could start to close, if only a bit. With most tournaments currently taking place online, that means that tournament organizers don’t have to spend as much renting a space and putting on a LAN event. This could increase prize pools and boost player earnings alongside it.
Fans have always assumed that the top teams take home a pretty penny for the work they put into Valve’s CSGO, but with this report, fans finally have an idea of just how much the top players in the scene make every year. It’s still unclear if dev1ce had to pay for the StarLadder Berlin Major trophy, though.
If he did, he could certainly afford it.
M Alzamora
About M Alzamora
There are few things that writer M Alzamora loves more in life than Pokemon. And there are even fewer things that she loves more than her favorite Pokemon, Eevee. But M’s appreciation for gaming isn’t just limited to Nintendo’s famous pocket monsters. She’s interested in every type of game across every genre of gaming, and she has the credentials to prove it. M’s work has also been seen on Working Classicists and gaming sites.
View full profile
Read Also
Counter-Strike
IEM Cologne Grand Final: Team Falcons vs FURIA best betting predictions
Owen Harsono
Coming into the IEM Cologne Major, nobody would have expected a grand final series between Team Falcons and FURIA, but here we are. Will NiKo finally win his first Major, or will FalleN win another one before retiring at the end of the year? Here are our IEM Cologne Major Grand Final predictions. Tournament: IEM Cologne Major 2026 Stage: Grand Final Game: Counter-Strike 2 Format: Best-of-five Betting tip: Team Falcons ...
Counter-Strike
Team Spirit vs Team Falcons IEM Cologne Major: betting predictions and picks
Owen Harsono
We’re in for a treat, as Team Spirit will take on Team Falcons for a spot in the IEM Cologne Major grand final. Will NiKo finally get another shot at winning a Major, or will donk and company prevent him from accomplishing his lifelong goal? Here are our IEM Cologne Major Team Spirit vs Team Falcons predictions. Tournament: IEM Cologne Major 2026 Stage: Semi-Final Game: Counter-Strike 2 Format: Best-of-three Betting ...
Counter-Strike
Vitality vs Falcons betting predictions and best picks: IEM Cologne Major 2026
Owen Harsono
We’re treated to a possible grand final matchup here in the quarterfinal of the IEM Cologne Major, with Team Vitality taking on Team Falcons in an elimination match. These are two of the highest-profile teams in the game right now, but only one of them can continue their chase for the trophy. Here are our IEM Cologne Major Team Vitality vs Team Falcons predictions. Tournament: IEM Cologne Major 2026 Stage: ...
Counter-Strike
IEM Cologne Major 2026 playoffs preview: matchups & predictions
Owen Harsono
The top eight teams at the IEM Cologne 2026 Major are set. Most of the favorites easily secured their spots, but we also have promising underdogs sneaking into the bracket. To keep you up to speed, here’s everything you need to know about the IEM Cologne Major playoffs. We started with 32 teams and are now only down to eight. After a grueling Stage 3, teams have been seeded into ...
Counter-Strike
IEM Cologne Major 2026 CS2 Playoffs Pick’Em Predictions
Owen Harsono
It’s that time of the year again, as the next Counter-Strike 2 Major is right around the corner. The IEM Cologne 2026 Major is set to start on June 2, meaning you still have some time to lock in your Pick’Em predictions. The Pick’Em Challenge is one of the most exciting parts of the CS2 Majors, as it allows you to test your knowledge and predict which teams make it ...
Counter-Strike
IEM Cologne Major Stage 3 preview: who’s making it to the playoffs?
Owen Harsono
The IEM Cologne Major is the biggest tournament of the year, and after two stages of play, it’s finally time to unleash the big boys. Stage 3 will feature the 16 best teams in the world, but only eight can advance to the Playoffs and play on the big stage. Here’s our IEM Cologne Major Stage 3 preview. Before we got to Stage 3, a lot of things happened in ...
Counter-Strike
Team Spirit concede just 10 rounds in Stage 2 of the IEM Cologne Major
Owen Harsono
It was pretty weird seeing Team Spirit having to start the IEM Cologne Major from Stage 2, but they quickly proved why that was a mistake. With donk shooting on all fronts, the Eastern Europeans speed ran the competition to book their spot in Stage 3. With how they’ve been playing, it’s hard not to wonder whether they can actually win the entire thing. These boys can sometimes be known ...
