OG (esports)

Lore & Background

OG was founded as '(monkey) Business' by players Tal 'Fly' Aizik and Johan 'N0tail' Sundstein, along with David 'MoonMeander' Tan, Fritz 'Frtz' DG, and Andreas 'Cr1t-' Nielsen in August 2015. After dominating the European qualifiers for the Frankfurt Major, they adopted the moniker OG and won the inaugural Dota 2 Major Championship in Frankfurt in November 2015. They became the first team to repeat as champions of a Valve sponsored Dota 2 tournament by winning the Manila Major in June 2016. Despite roster changes, OG won the Boston Major in December 2016 and the Kiev Major, making an appearance on Valve's True Sight documentary series.

In May 2018, Fly and s4 left the team, forcing OG to play through the Open Qualifiers for The International 2018. They quickly signed Topias 'Topson' Taavitsainen, Sébastien 'Ceb' Debs, and returning player ana. OG remains based in Europe with no confirmed relocation to Southeast Asia.

Reader's Guide

OG's significance lies in their unprecedented back-to-back victories at The International, the premier Dota 2 tournament, in 2018 and 2019. Their 2018 win was particularly notable as they qualified through the open qualifiers after roster changes, defeating more favoured teams. This achievement broke the historical trend of Chinese teams winning the International in even-numbered years. The organisation expanded into other games, including Counter-Strike: Global Offensive in December 2019, and later into Counter-Strike 2, Rocket League, and Honor of Kings. In 2024, OG were members of the Esports World Cup Foundation Club Support Program, funded by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, a program seen by some as a sportswashing tool. In September 2025, The Chiliz Group acquired a 51% majority stake in OG, and the team's fan token $OG became the first such token for an esports organisation on the Socios platform to hit a US$100 million market cap.

Did You Know?

• OG won The International 2018 after qualifying through the open qualifiers, considered a Cinderella story.
• OG became the first repeat champion of The International by winning in 2019.
• In November 2025, OG relocated to Southeast Asia and became an all Filipino club.
• OG's fan token $OG was the first esports token on Socios to reach a US$100 million market cap.

From "(monkey) Business" to a European Powerhouse

OG traces its origins to August 2015, when former Team Secret players Tal "Fly" Aizik and Johan "N0tail" Sundstein, alongside David "MoonMeander" Tan, Fritz "Frtz" DG, and Andreas "Cr1t-" Nielsen, assembled a squad initially called "(monkey) Business." A dominant run through the European qualifiers for the Frankfurt Major quickly prompted a rebrand to the now-iconic OG moniker. In November 2015, the team claimed the inaugural Dota 2 Major Championship in Frankfurt, pocketing a then-staggering US$1 million in prize money. Although a disappointing bottom-half finish at the March 2016 Shanghai Major briefly derailed their momentum, OG bounced back to capture the Manila Major in June 2016, becoming the first squad ever to repeat as champions of a Valve-sponsored Dota 2 tournament. The roster underwent significant turnover in August 2016, with MoonMeander, Miracle-, and Cr1t- departing and being replaced by s4, ana, and JerAx. Despite the upheaval, the reconfigured lineup added the Boston Major in December 2016 to their trophy cabinet, marking a third Major title and cementing OG as a consistent force in European Dota 2.

The 2018 Cinderella Run

The path to The International 2018 was anything but straightforward. After Fly and s4 departed for Evil Geniuses in May 2018, OG found themselves ineligible for a direct invite or regional qualifiers due to post-deadline roster changes. With just weeks before the Open Qualifiers, the organization scrambled to sign three new players: Topias "Topson" Taavitsainen, a complete newcomer with no prior major LAN experience; Sébastien "Ceb" Debs, who had previously served as the team's coach; and Anathan "ana" Pham, returning from a year-long break. Finishing outside the top eight in the Dota Pro Circuit standings, OG earned their spot by grinding through and winning the European open qualifiers. In the group stage they posted a 9-7 record to seed into the upper bracket, where they won every subsequent series. The grand final against PSG.LGD—whom they had just beaten in the upper bracket finals—became legendary. After dropping games two and three, OG forced dramatic late-game comebacks in both game four and game five, claiming over $11 million and shattering the historical pattern of Chinese teams winning in even-numbered years.

Back-to-Back Glory and the OpenAI Five

Having tasted International success, OG returned in 2019 with a direct invite earned by finishing in the top twelve of the Dota Pro Circuit. The group stage was a statement: a 14-2 record that carried them through the upper bracket to the grand finals, where they dispatched Team Liquid 3-1. The $15.6 million prize from the $34 million pool made them the first team ever to repeat as International champions, a feat no other organization had achieved. Between the two triumphs, the team also made headlines in April 2019 when they faced OpenAI Five, a group of artificial intelligence bots trained entirely through machine learning, in a live exhibition series in San Francisco. The roster saw minor adjustments during this period, with Pajkatt and iLTW filling in for ana during his November 2018 break, and Titouan "Sockshka" Merloz replacing Cristian "ppasarel" Banaseanu as coach in April 2019. OG's back-to-back International titles remain the defining achievement in the organization's history and one of the most remarkable runs in competitive Dota 2.

Roster Churn and the Road Ahead

The years following their historic back-to-back titles brought considerable turbulence. In January 2020, ana departed for another extended break, JerAx announced his retirement, and Ceb stepped off the active roster to focus on developing younger players. The team signed Sumail, MidOne, and Saksa to fill the gaps, though Sumail was released by July 2020 and Ceb returned to the active lineup. Further changes followed in 2021: MidOne was removed in March, ana briefly returned before retiring in June, and Sumail was re-signed. OG qualified for The International 2021 through regional qualifiers but were swept 2-0 in the lower bracket by eventual champions Team Spirit. In April 2021, the organization announced a partnership with German car manufacturer BMW. By November 2021, the roster had been completely overhauled—Sumail and Saksa were released, Ceb retired, and Topson and N0tail stepped away from active play. A brand-new five-man lineup was announced, and in May 2022, OG competed at the ESL One Stockholm Major, with Ceb and N0tail stepping in as substitutes, ultimately claiming their fifth Dota 2 Major title.