100 Thieves Bids Farewell to CS:GO: A North American Org's Pandemic-Era Exit

Well, well, well... if it isn't 100 Thieves making headlines again, but this time for packing their bags and leaving the CS:GO party. In a move that had esports fans doing a double-take, the flashy North American organization announced it was stepping away from competitive Counter-Strike: Global Offensive entirely. The news dropped via a heartfelt video from none other than CEO Matthew "Nadeshot" Haag, who basically said, "It's not you, CS:GO, it's us... and also a global pandemic and, you know, geography." Talk about a plot twist nobody saw coming in the 2026 esports landscape.

The "Why" Behind the Goodbye

Nadeshot didn't mince words. The dude straight-up cited the one-two punch of the ongoing global situation (yeah, that virus that just won't quit) and the competitive scene's heavy shift towards Europe as the main culprits. "For us specifically, what went wrong," Nadeshot explained, "number one, 100 Thieves is a North American organization." Let's break that down, shall we? The org's HQ is in sunny Los Angeles. Trying to support a team jet-setting across the Atlantic for tournaments is like trying to eat soup with a fork—messy, inefficient, and frankly, a bit frustrating. The logistical nightmare and the financial oof of it all just didn't make sense anymore. It's a classic case of "right team, wrong time and place."

A Rollercoaster Ride in the CS:GO World

This wasn't 100 Thieves' first rodeo in CS:GO. Oh no, they've had more comebacks than a 90s boy band. Their first foray was back in 2017 when they signed a Brazilian squad. That venture was, to put it mildly, a hot mess express that ended before it even began, with the team being dropped in early 2018. Fast forward to October 2019, and 100T was back in the game, baby! They scooped up the Australian Renegades lineup, and for a hot minute, things were looking up.

The team's performance was nothing to sneeze at. Check out this highlight reel:

• IEM Beijing 2019: Runners-up, losing only to the legendary Astralis in the finals. Not too shabby for a first outing!

• World Ranking: Peaked at a solid #5 globally and finished 2019 in the top ten. They were on the up and up!

• 2020's IEM Katowice: Managed a 5th-6th place finish at one of the few LAN events that actually happened that year.

• More 2020 Results:

• 🥉 3rd place at DreamHack Masters Spring

• 4th place at cs_summit 6

• 2nd place in ESL Pro League Season 12: North America

The Beginning of the End: Rumors and Departures

As the saying goes, where there's smoke, there's fire. After that strong second-place finish in ESL Pro League, the rumor mill started churning faster than a butter machine. First, coach Chet "Chet" Singh (formerly ImAPet) bounced to coach NRG's VALORANT squad. Then, whispers grew louder that the team's star player, the one and only Justin "jks" Savage, might be headed to Complexity Gaming. When your star player is potentially getting poached, you know the vibe is off.

What's Next for the Squad and the Org?

So, what now? The current lineup will play out their remaining matches in IEM New York North America under the 100 Thieves banner—one last hurrah before everyone goes their separate ways. As for the players' futures? Radio silence. No official word on where they'll land next, leaving fans in suspense.

And 100 Thieves themselves? Nadeshot says they have "no plans" to return to CS:GO anytime soon, but they'll "continue to keep [their] eyes on it." Translation: They're not closing the door forever, but they're definitely not holding it open either. In the fast-moving world of 2026 esports, who knows what the future holds? Maybe they'll be back when intercontinental teleportation is invented. One can dream!

For now, it's a classic tale of an org caught between ambition and reality, between continents and a pandemic. It's a bittersweet end to a chapter that had its moments of brilliance. As the esports world continues to evolve, 100 Thieves' exit from CS:GO serves as a reminder of the complex, often unpredictable nature of the business. On to the next venture!