IEM Katowice is where legends are born. All winners of the series of tournaments in Poland
Every year, one of the most important tournaments of the season is the championship in Katowice, which is organized by ESL. IEM Katowice has only had major status three times, but even regular tournaments are a priority for all esports players. Even the opportunity to play at the legendary Spodek Arena carries great significance, and many people dream of the champion title. In this material we will tell you about all the winners of this series of tournaments.
EMS One Katowice 2014
- Dates: March 13-16
- Prize pool: $250,000
The tournament did not immediately have a familiar name. Before the rebranding, the events were held under the name ESL One Katowice. And in 2014 it was held under the banner of the ESL Major Series – EMS One Katowice became the second major held in CS:GO.
16 teams from all over the world took part in the tournament, and the Polish team Virtus.pro won. For the club’s «golden» roster, this was one of the most significant achievements. Not only did they win a major, but they also did it at home. In the finals, VP had to meet with Ninjas in Pyjamas, who were one of the strongest teams at that time. The top four also included Dignitas with the core of Astralis’ star lineup (Xyp9x, dupreeh and device) and LGB with future fnatic talents – olofmeister and KRIMZ.
MVP deservedly went to pashaBiceps. The Pole was in excellent playing shape in 2014 and finished EMS One Katowice 2014 with a rating of 1.38. But the tournament became the only major won in his career.
EMS One Katowice 2014 prize pool distribution:
- 1st place – Virtus.pro ($100,000);
- 2nd place – Ninjas in Pyjamas ($50,000);
- 3-4 place – Dignitas ($22,000);
- 3-4 place – LGB ($22,000).
ESL One Katowice 2015
- Dates: March 12-15
- Prize pool: $250,000
The next tournament in Katowice was also held under the banner of a major. Ninjas in Pyjamas again managed to reach the finals, but this time they were faced with a formidable opponent in the form of fnatic, who built their own «era» and won every championship. Before ESL One Katowice 2015, the team managed to win six titles in a row.
Only NIP was able to impose a fight on fnatic. The meeting ended with a score of 2:1, and the JW team played all other playoff matches dry. On the way to the grand finals, fnatic destroyed PENTA and Virtus.pro, and Ninjas in Pyjamas dealt with TSM (the future of Astralis) and one of the best French rosters – Envy.
The MVP medal went to olofmeister. A year later he will return to Katowice to repeat this success.
ESL One Katowice 2015 prize pool distribution:
- 1st place – fnatic ($100,000);
- 2nd place – Ninjas in Pyjamas ($50,000);
- 3-4 place – Virtus.pro ($22,000);
- 3-4 place – Envy ($22,000).
IEM Katowice 2016
- Dates: March 2-5
- Prize pool: $250,000
After the end of ESL One Katowice 2015, fnatic relaxed a little and allowed themselves to lose several tournaments. But they approached the championship in Poland again in better shape, having taken the championship in the five previous events.
This time they were opposed by the Brazilian five Luminosity led by FalleN. The team was just gaining momentum and failed to impose an equal fight on fnatic in the grand final. The match ended with a score of 3:0, and olofmeister received another MVP medal.
But it is worth noting that the championship was the last in the era of total domination by fnatic. After IEM Katowice 2016, the club did not win a tournament until 2018.
IEM Katowice 2016 prize pool distribution:
- 1st place – fnatic ($104,000);
- 2nd place – Luminosity ($44,000);
- 3-4 place – Natus Vincere ($23,000);
- 3-4 place – Astralis ($25,000).
IEM Katowice 2017
- Dates: March 1-5
- Prize pool: $250,000
After two years of fnatic dominance, IEM Katowice was waiting for a new champion. It was Astralis, who only recently won the ELEAGUE Major 2017. In the finals they faced FaZe, but not quite the same as we are used to seeing them. This was one of the first members of the organization, of which only rain remained.
Astralis easily beat their opponents in the playoffs: the Danish team defeated Natus Vincere and Heroic with a score of 2:0. FaZe was able to force a fight on all maps of the grand final, but it still ended with a score of 3:1 in favor of gla1ve’s team. And the best player was surprisingly Xyp9x, who finished the tournament with a rating of 1.22.
IEM Katowice 2017 prize pool distribution:
- 1st place – Astralis ($111,769);
- 2nd place – FaZe ($46,150);
- 3-4 place – Immortals ($25,172);
- 3-4 place – Heroic ($24,123).
IEM Katowice 2018
- Dates: February 27 – March 4
- Prize pool: $500,000
Despite a series of failures, fnatic returned to Katowice for another trophy. In 2018, with the highest competition, the club managed to become the champion of IEM Katowice again. The match with FaZe was the first closest match in the history of the grand finals of the tournament series in Poland – it ended with a score of 3:2.
Both opponents reached a personal meeting without any problems. The playoffs for them began right from the semifinals, where the growing Astralis were stopped by FaZe, and fnatic beat Liquid.
The best player of the tournament was flusha, who was still far from retiring, and most of the CS:GO community considered him a cheater because of his bright highlights, which seemed suspicious.
IEM Katowice 2018 prize pool distribution:
- 1st place – fnatic ($250,000);
- 2nd place – FaZe ($100,000);
- 3-4 place – Astralis ($40,000);
- 3-4 place – Liquid ($40,000).
IEM Katowice 2019
- Dates: February 20 – March 3
- Prize pool: $1,000,000
In 2019, IEM Katowice returned to major status. Most fans received this extremely positively, because over the years the audience has loved ESL tournaments, and the tournament in Poland especially.
Fans from the CIS remember this major even more. But not in a positive way: it was s1mple’s most fatal mistake with AWP in the 1×3 clutch. It happened in the semi-finals against ENCE at 13:13 of the third map. After this failure, NAVI left the championship, and soon the composition was expected to change – Edward was replaced by Boombl4.
ENCE had to meet in the grand final with Astralis, who were at the peak of their form and were trying to get their third major. The Finnish team failed to do anything against the Danes, who finished the championship without defeat. They lost their only map in the group stage against Renegades in the match for reaching the playoffs. The MVP medal went to the young talent Magisk.
IEM Katowice 2019 prize pool distribution:
- 1st place – Astralis ($500,000);
- 2nd place – ENCE ($150,000);
- 3-4 place – Natus Vincere ($70,000);
- 3-4 place – MIBR ($70,000).
IEM Katowice 2020
- Dates: February 24 – March 1
- Prize pool: $500,000
The next championship marked the beginning of the Natus Vincere era. Victory in Katowice will charge the club’s updated roster for a string of trophies: after IEM Katowice 2020, NAVI will win 4 more tournaments, including PGL Major Stockholm 2021.
In the playoffs, NAVI had a rather simple path, unlike the group stage, where the team had to get out of the lower bracket. In the final stage, all matches of the CIS team ended in a clean sheet, as did the final with G2. S1mple received one of his MVPs, and faith in the team increased. But she was still waiting for reinforcement in the form of b1t.
IEM Katowice 2020 prize pool distribution:
- 1st place – Natus Vincere ($250,000);
- 2nd place – G2 ($100,000);
- 3-4 place – Astralis ($40,000);
- 3-4 place – fnatic ($40,000).
IEM Katowice 2021
- Dates: February 18-28
- Prize pool: $1,000,000
Further difficult times awaited IEM Katowice. It was impossible to hold LAN tournaments during COVID-19, but unlike ESL One Cologne 2020, it was not cancelled. Of course, the same atmosphere of the Spodek Arena was no longer there, the championship was held online, but it gave a lot of sensations. NAVI, Astralis, FaZe and other familiar giants were not in the top 4. The first places were taken by Gambit, Virtus.pro, Liquid and Spirit.
The online format had a positive effect on the results of Gambit, which was experiencing big problems on LAN. IEM Katowice 2021 became one of the tournaments won by the Russian team in the era of coronavirus. In the playoffs, the team defeated Natus Vincere and Spirit, and in the finals they faced Virtus.pro and the first MVP for sh1ro.
IEM Katowice 2021 prize pool distribution:
- 1st place – Gambit ($400,000);
- 2nd place – Virtus.pro ($180,000);
- 3-4 place – Liquid ($80,000);
- 3-4 place – Spirit ($80,000).
IEM Katowice 2022
- Dates: February 17-27
- Prize pool: $1,000,000
IEM Katowice 2022 was distinguished by the debut of m0NESY for G2. The young talent from Natus Vincere, who was valued at $600,000, performed well at the very first tournament on the tier-1 stage. But this was not enough to win the championship. In the finals, the team faced FaZe at the peak of their form.
As with other teams, it was IEM Katowice that became the first tournament in a series of four trophies in a row for the international team. In the grand final, G2 was unable to counter anything and lost with a score of 0:3, and broky received his first MVP.
IEM Katowice 2022 prize pool distribution:
- 1st place – FaZe ($400,000);
- 2nd place – G2 ($180,000);
- 3-4 place – Heroic ($80,000);
- 3-4 place – Natus Vincere ($80,000).
IEM Katowice 2023
- Dates: February 4-12
- Prize fund: $1,000,000
But a year later, G2 returned to claim what was theirs. The squad reached its peak after the successful BLAST Premier World Final 2022 and this helped them win the trophy in Katowice.
m0NESY held a great tournament, as did NiKo, but the one who stood out the most in the team was huNter-, who won the MVP medal. And in the final, G2 defeated Heroic with a score of 3:1.
IEM Katowice 2023 prize pool distribution:
- 1st place – G2 ($400,000);
- 2nd place – Heroic ($180,000);
- 3-4 place – Team Liquid ($80,000);
- 3-4 place – Natus Vincere ($80,000).
During its existence, the IEM Katowice series has given many unforgettable emotions and great sensations. The tournament in Katowice is one of the annual «celebration» of the entire Counter-Strike community: not only every esports player, but also every fan wants to visit the Spodek Arena.
Now the playoffs of the next championship are in full swing and we have a chance to see new winners of IEM Katowice or another triumph for FaZe. But in any case, the 2024 championship will go down in history as the first tournament of the series held in CS2.