IEM Katowice 2020 was one of a kind. Just a day prior to its final stage, Polish Gouverneur of Silesia closed the event to the public due to global health situation. That meant that, for the first time ever, the best esports players had to play in the legendary Spodek arena without any fans. However, the interest didn’t evaporate, since the finals attracted over 1 million peak viewers – IEM Katowice 2020 became the most popular non-major CS:GO event in history.
However, it’s only the fourth event in regards to viewership in CS:GO history. 2018 FACEIT London Major, last year’s IEM Katowice Major, and the 2018 ELeague Major had more viewers.
As you might’ve guessed by now, the final pit Natus Vincere against G2 Esports. However, the end of the line collision wasn’t very interesting as Na’Vi swept over the series 3-0. The first map, Nuke, was anything but close. Na’Vi took 14 rounds playing on the CT side and closed down the map with a dominant 16-4 result.
The second map, Dust 2, was a bit more even, as G2 Esports managed to put up a fight right until the final round. However, Na’Vi’s superstar Aleksandr “s1mple” Kostyliev once again proved why he’s considered one of the best CS:GO players in the world and carried the team to victory 16-13.
It was all or nothing for G2 Esports on the final map Mirage. However, the dream comeback was impossible with Na’Vi playing at their best. Natus Vincere took the map in the dominant fashion 16-2 and claimed the title of IEM Katowice 2020 champions.
However, IEM Katowice wasn’t just for CS:GO. The event also hosted its annual Starcraft II tournament which was taken by Lee “Rogue” Byeong Yeol, who won the final series against Joo “Zest” Sung Wook, in a dominant 4-1 fashion. You can check out the full series in the video below.
