After several years of dominance in VALORANT, the esports organization Sentinels is seriously considering a return to the title where many of its stars began their careers — Counter-Strike. With Counter-Strike 2 gaining momentum, the team is eyeing a potential debut on the North American scene as early as 2026. This move could be strategically important not only for Sentinels themselves but for the entire region, which has been struggling in CS in recent years.
Sentinels Plan Return to Counter-Strike — Eyeing 2026 Debut
North American esports organization Sentinels, well known for its success in VALORANT, could make its Counter-Strike 2 debut as early as 2026. This was revealed by the team’s CEO Rob Moore in an interview with Sheep Esports.
According to Moore, CS2 is currently the most discussed potential expansion within the organization.
“It’s probable that we go in,” Moore said. “Maybe in 2026 or 2027. But if we do, it will be with a true North American ambition.”
At the moment, Sentinels are active in only a few esports titles, most notably VALORANT, where they are considered one of the most successful and popular teams in the world. Sentinels are the first team to win two Masters tournaments and one of only two (alongside Fnatic) to claim two international titles.
Sentinels nearly doubled revenue in 2024 despite a €6M loss — and plans to break even by 2026
CEO Rob Moore told us:
– CS2 & League Of Legends plans for the future
– How they doubled gain without scaling up internallyBy @madgedymey https://t.co/Vu9PwfKYc5
— Sheep Esports (@Sheep_Esports) June 26, 2025
Sentinels already have strong ties to the Counter-Strike scene through some of their key VALORANT players — TenZ, Zellsis, and tarik — all of whom previously competed in NA CS. The latter is also a Major champion and has been with Sentinels as a streamer since 2022.
Community Reactions
User Hevy sees this as a major positive for the region:
“Before anyone starts trashing on this — it’s actually really beneficial towards the revival of the NA scene. One of the main reasons the NA region is dead is because of the lack of support from orgs (because EU objectively has more and better players).”
Ozzny agrees:
“100% agree. Some of the bigger orgs joining NA CS would be a great step to revive the scene. The problem is it’s not easy to do it if there’s no good enough NA talent to compete at the highest level.”
The potential entry of Sentinels into CS2 isn’t just another expansion — it represents a real opportunity to breathe life back into the North American Counter-Strike scene, which has long been in need of renewed investment and inspiration. The successful return of such an iconic organization could attract more orgs, elevate the competitive level, and create new opportunities for emerging talent across the region.
Source: Sheep Esports
