Gambit win IEM Katowice 2021: Final placements & recap

Alan Bernal
IEM-Katowice

Thrive Fantasy IEM Katowice Dexerto

Counter-Strike’s IEM Katowice 2021 saw Gambit Esports etch their name into one of CSGO’s most prestigious trophies, alongside winning the lion’s share of $1 million after defeating Virtus.pro in the finals! Here’s how the tournament unfolded.


  • Gambit defeated NAVI, Spirit and Virtus.pro in the Playoffs.
  • Abay ‘Hobbit’ Khasenov stole the show in the finals.
  • Dmitry ‘sh1ro’ Sokolov was crowned the event MVP.

IEM Katowice 2021: Final placements & prize breakdown

The $1 million prize pool was be split between all 24 teams, including the ones that failed to make it to the Group Stage. The first-place team earned the biggest sliver of the pie, of course, taking home $400,000.

Place Team Prize ($USD)
1 Gambit Esports $400,000
2 Virtus.pro $180,000
3-4 Team Liquid $80,000
Team Spirit $80,000
5-6 Astralis $40,000
Navi $40,000
7-8 G2 Esports $24,000
FURIA $24,000
9-12 Heroic $16,000
Evil Geniuses $16,000
FaZe Clan $16,000
Team Vitality $16,000
13-16 mousesports $10,000
BIG $10,000
OG $10,000
Ninjas in Pyjamas $10,000
17-20 Complexity $4,500
MIBR $4,500
Renegades $4,500
Cloud9 $4,500
21-24 Fnatic $2,500
Wisla Krakow $2,500
Team One $2,500
Movistar Riders $2,500

IEM Katowice 2021: Format

  • Play-In: Feb 16-17
    • Double-elimination bracket.
    • Opening matches were best-of-one, all other matches were best-of-three.
    • The Top 8 teams advanced to Group Stage.
  • Group Stage: Feb 18-21
    • 16 teams split into two groups.
    • Double-elimination brackets.
    • Top-three teams from each group advance to Playoffs.
      • Group winners started in the semifinals.
      • Group second-place teams started in the quarterfinals (high seed).
      • Group third-place teams started in the quarterfinals (low seed).
  • Playoffs: Feb 26-28
    • Single-elimination bracket.
    • Best-of-three matches, Best-of-five Grand Final

Watch now:  ThriveFantasy IEM Katowice 2021 Quarter-Final Preview | Presented by BanKs & Maniac


IEM Katowice 2021: Play-in results

Day 1 — February 16

Round Match Map 1 Map 2 Map 3
Upper Bracket R1 BIG 1-0 Movistar Riders BIG: Inferno (16-6) N/A
Upper Bracket R1 Team Spirit 1-0 Cloud9 SPT: Inferno (16-7)
Upper Bracket R1 Gambit 1-0 Team One GMB: Train (16-5)
Upper Bracket R1 Renegades 0-1 mousesports MOUZ: Inferno (16-14)
Upper Bracket R1 Virtus.pro 1-0 Wisła Kraków VP: Inferno (16-10)
Upper Bracket R1 NiP 1-0 Complexity NIP: Nuke (16-7)
Upper Bracket R1 OG 1-0 Fnatic OG: Overpass (16-9)
Upper Bracket R1 Team Liquid 1-0 MIBR TL: Vertigo (16-12)
Group Stage decider Gambit 2-1 mousesports MOUZ: Dust2 (16-11) GMB: Inferno (16-12) GMB: Vertigo (16-6)
Group Stage decider Team Spirit 2-0 BIG SPT: Overpass (16-11) SPT: Mirage (16-13) Dust2 (N/A)
Elimination Match Movistar Riders 0-2 Cloud9 C9: Overpass (16-11) C9: Nuke 19-16) Inferno (N/A)
Group Stage decider NiP 2-0 Virtus.pro NIP: Overpass (16-13) NIP: Dust2 (16-11) Train (N/A)
Group Stage decider Team Liquid 2-1 OG TL: Mirage (16-7) OG: Overpass (16-7) TL: Nuke 16-14
Elimination Match Team One 1-2 Renegades ONE:  Inferno (16-3) RNG: Mirage (16-4) RNG: Overpass (19-17)

Day 2 — February 17

Match Map 1 Map 2 Map 3
Elimination Match Complexity 2-1 Wisla Krakow COL: Inferno(16-5) WIS: Mirage (19-16) Nuke (16-9)
Elimination Match MIBR 2-0 Fnatic MIBR: Dust2 (16-12) MIBR: (16-9) Train (N/A)
Group Stage decider Cloud9 1-2 OG OG: Nuke (16-8) C9: Overpass (16-11) OG: Dust2 (16-12)
Group Stage decider Virtus.pro 2-0 Renegades VP: Vertigo (16-9) VP: Dust2 (16-3) Inferno (N/A)
Group Stage decider mousesports 2-1 Complexity COL: Mirgae (16-8) MOUZ: Dust2 (19-17) MOUZ: Nuke (16-3)
Group Stage decider BIG 2-0 MIBR BIG: Dust2 (16-3) BIG: Nuke (16-7) Mirage (N/A)

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IEM Katowice 2021: Group Stage results

Day 3 — February 18

Group A

Round Match Map 1 Map 2 Map 3
Upper Bracket R1 G2 1-2 Spirit SPT: Train (16-14) G2: Mirage (16-8) SPT: Inferno (16-10)
Upper Bracket R1 Evil Geniuses 2-0 Gambit EG: Overpass (16-13) EG: Inferno (16-10) Train (N/A)
Upper Bracket R1 Astralis 2-0 mousesports AST: Nuke (16-8) AST: Inferno (16-12) Vertigo (N/A)
Upper Bracket R1 Heroic 2-0 BIG HER: Inferno (16-12) HER: Nuke (16-14) Vertigo (N/A)

Group B

Round Match Map 1 Map 2 Map 3
Upper Bracket R1 Vitality 2-0 OG VIT: Dust2 (16-11) VIT: Nuke (19-17) Overpass (N/A)
Upper Bracket R1 FaZe Clan 0-2 Liquid TL: Mirage (16-11) TL: Nuke (16-6) Inferno (N/A)

Day 4 — February 19

Group B

Round Match Map 1 Map 2 Map 3
Upper Bracket R1 FURIA 2-0 NiP FUR: Overpass (16-12) FUR: Nuke (16-4) Inferno (N/A)
Upper Bracket R1 Virtus.pro 0-2 Navi NAVI: Dust2 (16-11) NAVI: Train (16-9) Inferno (N/A)

Group A

Round Match PST EST GMT
Upper Bracket R2 Evil Geniuses 0-2 Astralis AST: Train (16-9) AST: Dust2 (16-7) Inferno (N/A)
Lower Bracket R1 Gambit 2-0 mousesports GMB: Dust2 (16-11) GMB: Vertigo (16-10) Train (N/A)
Upper Bracket R2 Spirit 2-0 Heroic SPT: Inferno (16-12) SPT: Nuke (16-14) Train (N/A)
Lower Bracket R1 G2 2-0 BIG G2: Inferno (16-10) G2: Mirage (16-12) Vertigo (N/A)

Day 5 — February 20

Group A

Round Match Map 1 Map 2 Map 3
Lower Bracket R2 Heroic 1-2 Gambit HER: Overpass (16-12) GMB: Inferno (16-14) GMB: Mirage (16-3)
Lower Bracket R2 Evil Geniuses 0-2 G2 G2: Train (16-14) G2: Dust2 (16-14) Inferno (N/A)

Group B

Round Match Map 1 Map 2 Map 3
Lower Bracket R1 OG 0-2 FaZe Clan FAZE: Mirage (16-7) FAZE: Dust2 (16-9) Train (N/A)
Lower Bracket R1 NiP 0-2 Virtus.pro VP: Inferno (16-9) VP: Overpass (16-7) Train (N/A)
Upper Bracket R2 Liquid 2-1 Vitality VIT: Nuke (19-16) TL: Vertigo (16-10) VIT: Mirage (16-12)
Upper Bracket R2 FURIA 0-2 Navi NAVI: Mirage (16-13) NAVI: Nuke (16-8) Inferno (N/A)

Day 6 — February 21

Group A

Round Match Map 1 Map 2 Map 3
Upper Bracket R3 Astralis 1-2 Spirit AST: Inferno (16-11) SPT: Train (16-13) SPT: Dust2 (16-1)
Lower Bracket R3 Gambit 2-0 G2 Esports GMB: Vertigo (16-11) GMB: Dust2 (16-11) Inferno (N/A)

Group B

Round Match Map 1 Map 2 Map 3
Lower Bracket R2 FURIA 2-1 FaZe Clan FUR: Mirage (16-8) FAZE: Overpass (16-14) FUR: Train (16-4)
Lower Bracket R2 Team Vitality 0-2 Virtus.Pro VP: Inferno (19-17) VP: Overpass (16-12) Dust 2 (N/A)
Upper Bracket R3 Team Liquid 2-1 Navi TL: Overpass (16-14) NAVI: Dust 2 (16-7) TL: Inferno (22-19)
Lower Bracket R3 Virtus.Pro 2-0 Furia VP: Overpass (16-14) VP: Mirage (16-10) Inferno (N/A)

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IEM Katowice 2021: Playoff results

Day 7 — February 26 (Quarter-finals)

Round Match Map 1 Map 2 Map 3
Dexerto’s Key Moment Gambit 2-0 Navi GAM: Overpass (16-12) GAM Train (16-6) Dust2 (N/A)
Dexerto’s Key Moment Astralis 1-2 Virtus.pro VP: Overpass (16-10) AST: Train (16-12) VP: Inferno (16-11)

Navi & Astralis suffer shock exit

Gambit pulled the upset against Navi in the CIS derby. The young squad swept s1mple’s team 2-1 with Overpass (16-12) and Train (16-6) going the way of Gambit. Sh1ro stepped up across the series, consistently clutching rounds and displaying a respectable 87.8 ADR.

Virtus.pro continued their great 2021 form by eliminating Astralis in a thrilling series. Overpass (16-10) went the way of VP, followed by Astralis taking Train (16-12). The Danes had no answer in the final map, as they witnessed YEKINDAR take control of Inferno (16-11) and bring home the bacon. The Latvian star consistently performed during the series, clocking out with 75 kills over the three maps.

Day 8 — February 27 (Semi-finals)

Round Match Map 1 Map 2 Map 2
Dexerto’s Key Moment Spirit 0-2 Gambit GMB: Overpass (16-11) GMB: Inferno (16-13) Mirage (N/A)
Dexerto’s Key Moment Team Liquid 0-2 Virtus.pro VP: Dust 2 (16-9) VP: Mirage (16-12) Inferno (N/A)

Gambit &Virtus.pro sweep their way to an all-CIS Katowice final

Gambit swept Team Spirit to earn a spot in the grand finals. Ax1Le was their top performer, staying at the top of the scoreboard on both Overpass (16-11) and Inferno (16-13) with 48 kills at the end of the series.

Team Liquid were unable to stop the CIS region from dominating the Playoffs. Virtus.pro defeated the North Americans on Dust2 (16-9) and Mirage (16-12), with Jame finding impact with the AWP in almost every round.

Day 9 — February 28 (Grand Final)

Round Match Map 1 Map 2 Map 3 Map 4 Map 5
Dexerto’s Key Moment Gambit 3-1 Virtus.pro VP: Vertigo (16-14) GMB: Dust2 (16-6) GMB: Train (16-4) GMB: Overpass (16-12) Mirage (N/A)

Gambit defeat Virtus.pro to claim the Katowice trophy

The CIS showdown started with VP edging out Gambit on Vertigo (16-14), as YEKINDAR and Jame topped the scoreboard with 26 kills each. Gambit turned the series around on Dust2 (16-6) winning 10 rounds in a row to close out the map before continuing their domination on Train (16-4).

The youngsters finally took the trophy home after halting a potential VP comeback on Overpass (16-12). Hobbit led by example in the series, posting an impressive 90 frags over the four maps — alongside 106 ADR!

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IEM Katowice 2021 essentials! Relive the big moments


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About The Author

Alan is a former staff writer for Dexerto based in Southern California who covered esports, internet culture, and the broader games/streaming industry. He is a CSUF Alum with a B.A. in Journalism. He's reported on sports medicine, emerging technology, and local community issues. Got a tip or want to talk?