Every great team needs a great leader, and it’s no different in CS2. A roster of superstar players alone can’t compete with a cohesive team, guided by an experienced in-game leader. This is Jaxon’s ranking of the best IGLs in CS2 today.
Despite their importance, IGLs sometimes go unappreciated due to their statistical output. But that’s not what they should be judged on.
Strategic depth, team cohesion, and the ability to enable their players are the factors that make an IGL truly great.
| Ranking | Player | Team | Country |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dan “apEX” Madesclaire | Vitality | 🇫🇷 France |
| 2 | Gabriel “FalleN” Toledo | FURIA | 🇧🇷 Brazil |
| 3 | Dzhami “Jame” Ali | PARIVISION | 🇷🇺 Russia |
| 4 | Garidmagnai “bLitz” Byambasuren | The MongolZ | 🇲🇳 Mongolia |
| 5 | Finn “karrigan” Andersen | FaZe Clan | 🇩🇰 Denmark |
| 6 | Damjan “kyxsan” Stoilkovski | Falcons | 🇲🇰 N. Macedonia |
| 7 | Aleksi “Aleksib” Virolainen | Navi | 🇫🇮 Finland |
| 8 | Ludvig “Brollan” Brolin | MOUZ | 🇸🇪 Sweden |
| 9 | Lucas “lux” Meneghini | Legacy | 🇧🇷 Brazil |
| 10 | Nemanja “hunter-” Kovač | G2 | 🇧🇦 Bosnia & Herz. |
This year will be detrimental to huNter’s IGL career. Credit: © StarLadder
huNter’s IGLing journey since the summer of 2025 has been a mixed bag. Under his leadership, G2 has filled the role of a top 10/playoffs gatekeeper team, bar one sharp peak at BLAST London, where they beat Vitality and claimed the trophy.
However, the talent on G2’s lineup is clear, so huNter should have all the tools to elevate G2 closer to title contention.
lux is the best Brazilian IGL behind Fallen right now. Credit: Stephanie Lindgren | © BLAST
Legacy were one of the breakout teams in 2025, with the Brazilians making waves at BLAST Austin Major and other tournaments in the second half of the year. lux lead the team to solid results, including the CAC 2025 championship.
While they won’t have the CS2 odds behind them in every match, they will be a handful to handle for many teams in 2026.
Will Brollan lead MOUZ to any trophies in 2026? Credit: © PGL
Brollan is a weird IGL to assess, as MOUZ seem to be functioning in a leading-by-committee approach. The coach, Dennis “sycrone” Nielsen, plays a big part in MOUZ’s tactical structure, but some credit has to be attributed to Brollan, who deserves his pace on our best IGLs list.
The Swede has done a formidable job since transitioning to the IGL role in early 2025, following the departure of Kamil “siuhy” Szkaradek from MOUZ. The only gripe is that he has only a single trophy to show for it.
Unless we see a breakthrough in the upcoming CS2 events, MOUZ probably won’t end the year with the same lineup they entered it with.
Despite NAVI’s woes, Aleksib is still one of the best in the world. Credit: Helena Kristiansson | © ESL
It seems like, due to NAVI’s struggles in 2025, CS2 fans forgot about Aleksib being a great IGL. It was under his leadership that NAVI was the best team in the world in 2024, winning the PGL Copenhagen Major that year.
While 2025 wasn’t perfect, Aleskib still made NAVI a competitive outfit, capable of besting the very best in packed arenas. With the right roster, willing to buy into his vision, Aleksib has all the capabilities to lead one of the best teams in the world to greatness.
kyxsan is doing a formidable job as Falcons IGL. Credit: Jonathon Yau | © BLAST
While Falcons haven’t been able to get over the line in an event Grand Final in a while, they have been a consistent top-four team for nearly a year. A lot of credit for that fact has to be given to kyxsan.
The Macedonian’s job is not easy, having to manage so much talent on the server, but he’s been quietly doing a solid job. His stars are performing well, while his individual level is not suffering, despite the lack of resources.
If Falcons continue playing as they have under kyxsan’s leadership in 2026, trophies are only a matter of time.
Everyone would love to see karrigan lead FaZe to glory once again. Credit: © StarLadder
karrigan’s longevity at the top of Counter-Strike is unparalleled. He has been one of the best IGLs in the world nonstop for practically a decade, and he still has gas in the tank, evidenced by FaZe’s Budapest Major run.
Unfortunately, FaZe’s success in recent times is limited to one-off miracle runs, which don’t seem to be sustainable long-term. Finding consistency should be the priority for karrigan and FaZe in 2026.
The Dane isn’t getting any younger, so getting his team up to scratch sooner rather than later is a must for the experienced IGL.
bLitz is certainly one of the most underrated IGLs in CS2. Credit: © StarLadder
bLitz is undoubtedly the most underrated IGL in the CS2 scene at the moment. He is very rarely mentioned in the top IGL discussions, despite so many factors acting in his favor.
Under his leadership, The Mongolz, one of the youngest teams in the scene, have become one of the best CS2 teams, winning S-Tier events and fighting toe-to-toe against the Counter-Strike elite on the regular.
On top of that, bLitz is a great individual player, and he is only 24 – one of the youngest IGLs on our list. If he ever wanted to transition to an international lineup in the future, he would be the hottest name on the market.
Jame is back, leading youngsters to the top. Credit: © StarLadder
Jame is a fan favorite for a reason. He has mastered the slow and calculated playstyle and is exceptional at bringing up young talent to the top. This time around, it’s with PARIVISION.
We already saw promising signs at the most recent Major, but the fruit of his labor came at BLAST Bounty, where he lifted the trophy after beating Spirit, FURIA, and Falcons.
On top of his tactical skills, Jame is also a solid individual player who knows how to wield an AWP (and how to save one).
FalleN is back to his IGLing best with the new FURIA. Credit: © PGL
Before FURIA’s 2025 success, no one would have predicted FalleN to be one of the best IGLs in the world coming into 2026, but here we are. The switch to an international roster rejuvenated the Brazilian, and his calling is as good as ever.
While the StarLadder Budapest Major didn’t pan out as the FURIA players would have wanted, this year could be theirs. With each piece getting more and more comfortable within the lineup, FalleN has all the ingredients to cook up a consistent championship-winning team.
apEX knows he is the #1 IGL in CS2. Credit: © ESL
There’s no one else who could have been the number one IGL on our list besides apEX, who we’ve also ranked highly on our list of best French esports players.
He’s been one of the best IGLs in the world for half a decade, and after the year he had with Vitality in 2025, he’s now in a league of his own.
This year, apEX has the chance to make history with this Vitality lineup, creating an era akin to Astralis of old. The Bees are the CS2 betting favorites in every event they attend, and it seems it will stay that way for a long time.
Feature image credit: © ESL
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