ESL Gaming, the world’s largest esports company, and Intel® Corporation, one of the leading brands in esports, celebrate the successful conclusion of the Intel® Extreme Masters Cologne 2021.
With a peak of more than 840,000 people watching the 3-0 grand final between Natus Vincere and G2 Esports at the same time (excluding China), the competition became the second-highest viewed non-Major CS:GO tournament of all time, after IEM Katowice 2020.
For the first time in 504 days, the world’s best CS:GO teams have been brought together in the German city of Cologne to battle over the US $1 million of prize money.
Bringing in from all over the world approximately 200 players, coaches, and staff from the 24 competing teams, IEM Cologne 2021 is the very first in-person CS:GO tournament taking place in almost one and a half years.
Over 1,000 PCR tests have been conducted with 0 positive infectious test results, ensuring a secure environment for the teams to practice and to relax together, and to ultimately face their opponents in person in the studio again.
After two weeks of competitive and exciting matchups, Natus Vincere beat G2 Esports in a 3-0 sweep in the grand final taking place on Sunday, July 18th, making it one of the greatest CS:GO teams and leaving it only one win away from winning the Intel® Grand Slam Season 3.
On top of that, Natus Vincere’s player Aleksandr “s1mple” Kostyliev, was nominated as the ESL Pro Tour: DHL MVP of the tournament by fans and experts. With four aces, a KPR of 0.96 and an ADR of 93.1 across the whole tournament, he is currently widely considered to be the best CS: GO player of all time by the wider community.
“It was a great tournament,” said Natus Vincere player Aleksandr “s1mple” Kostyliev. “For like one and a half years – I think 500 days, I was in my city and now everything is perfect and I hope that ESL and all the people who are involved are going to keep doing this great job.”
