For the past two years, SAL has been a league of three. While teams rise and fall beneath them, the same few names continue to dominate the top of the standings and represent the region on the international stage. But is that dominance a sign of a weak league, or proof that SAL has simply produced some of the best teams in the world?

With everyone else fighting for fourth, it's time to look at whether SAL is a farmer league or a region ruled by elite teams.

The W7M Dynasty

W7M had officially arrived. In 2023, they became the first true dynasty out of SAL, winning Copenhagen, Atlanta, and SI24 all within the same calendar year. More than just trophies, W7M had kickstarted a run of dominance that would define SAL for years to come.

Then came Manchester.

For the first time in five events, SAL failed to reach the Grand Finals. FURIA bought out the W7M roster, but could only manage a Top 8 finish alongside FaZe, while Team Liquid fell in the Top 4. To find the last time a Grand Final didn't feature a SAL team, you had to go all the way back to Charlotte.

But if Manchester was supposed to signal the end of SAL's reign, Montreal had other plans.

The new W7M roster stormed back to reclaim the throne and once again establish themselves as the best team in the world. Across the previous six Majors and Six Invitationals, W7M had now won or finished second in five of them. One bad event hadn't ended the dynasty; it had only made the comeback louder.

A New Era

SI25 would see W7M flame out early, falling 0–2 in the playoffs. But while the defending champions watched from the sidelines, FaZe began their own run through the lower bracket. After suffering an early upset, FaZe tore through some of the event’s biggest fan-favorite teams, steamrolling their way through the back half of the playoffs and into a Grand Final against BDS.

On the biggest stage, BDS struck first, taking a thrilling Game 1 in overtime. FaZe, however, had no intention of letting the series slip away. Three straight maps in regulation later, FaZe had completed the reverse sweep and lifted the trophy.

In a shortened 2025 season, Munich would be the only Major on the calendar, with FaZe finishing 3rd. But a year removed from their last championship, the roster had bigger ambitions. They wanted to become the first team since the PENTA/G2 core to win back-to-back Six Invitationals.

At SI26, they did just that.

FaZe lifted the trophy and claimed the throne, cementing themselves as the current kings of SAL. Now, with Osaka on the horizon, the question isn't whether FaZe can reach the top again; it’s whether anyone can knock them off it.

Passing of the Torch

For all the changes SAL has gone through, one thing has remained remarkably consistent: the teams at the top.

W7M established the standard. When their reign ended, the throne simply changed hands, with FaZe becoming the latest team to claim it. Meanwhile, the rest of SAL has spent the last two to three years trying to close the gap.

FURIA looked like they might finally be the team to break through. After winning Reload and establishing themselves as one of SAL's best, they had the domestic success to make a case for joining the elite. But that success hasn't translated to the international stage, leading to a three-headed monster at the top of the league.

And that's what makes SAL so interesting. For the past nine stages, it hasn't necessarily been a race for three spots at the top. It has been a race for the spot behind them.

Kings or Farmers

The numbers make that gap even more apparent. Across nine stages, FaZe has finished in the Top 4 in all nine. FURIA and W7M have each managed seven Top 4 finishes, while NiP has five and Team Liquid has four. Beyond them, Los has two, while E1 and Keyd have managed just one apiece.

Everyone wants to be the fourth team. The problem is that over nine stages, only five teams out of twenty outside the established elite have even managed to get there, and none have been able to stay there long enough or turn that domestic success into the international breakthrough needed to become the next member of the elite.

So the question stands: is SAL a farmer league, or are its best teams simply so far ahead of everyone else that the question is no longer whether SAL will make a run internationally, but which team will do it?