Some believe Counter-Strike isn't as great as it used to be, and some think the transition to Counter-Strike 2 (CS2) didn't bring much extra to the table. These people are all wrong, and honestly, IEM Katowice 2025 just proves once again that CS2 esports isn't just alive; it's thriving.
Read More: Vitality Sweeps Spirit in IEM Katowice 2025 Grand Finale
According to Esports Charts, IEM Katowice 2025 (29 Jan to 9 Feb) hit a peak viewership of 1,299,747, which is a new record for a non-Major Championship Counter-Strike event. Yes, IEM Katowice has surpassed IEM Cologne 2022. Well done, ESL, well done!
At IEM Katowice 2025, Team Vitality faced Team Secret in a best-of-five grand finale, which also broke a new French viewership record. IEM Katowice also had the second-highest Mongolian language peak and the second-highest Ukrainian language peak in esports history.
#IEM Katowice 2025 set:
— Esports Charts 🇺🇦 (@EsportsCharts) February 10, 2025
- New non-Major @CounterStrike event viewership record
- New French 🇫🇷 viewership record
- 2nd highest Ukrainian 🇺🇦 language peak in Esports
- 2nd highest Mongolian 🇲🇳 language peak in Esports
Full recap here:
👉 https://t.co/VZke8DGHn8pic.twitter.com/JNhfbpdPRS
Making this even more impressive is that the statistics shared by Esports Charts exclude Steam.tv, and Chinese video streaming platforms. You can ready the full Esports Charts report here.
Read More: Valve Confirms CS Major Change to 32-Teams & Extra Stage
In case you've missed it, Team Vitality swept Team Spirit under the rug at the IEM Katowice 2025 grand finale with a 3-0 victory, lifting the coveted trophy and earning the lion's share of the prize pool at $400,000 on Sunday, 9 February 2025.
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