ESLThe $1 million IEM Cologne 2021 championship is officially in the books. One of the staple CS:GO events on the calendar brought together some of the world’s best to fight it out, but it would be s1mple and NaVi who took home the $400,000 grand prize.
- NaVi shut down G2 3-0 to win Cologne 2021 Grand Finals
- s1mple and company return in full form for first LAN of 2021
- Online juggernaut Gambit fall to FaZe Clan in quarterfinals
IEM Cologne is one of the most storied events on the CS:GO calendar. While no longer a major, history has been made many a time in Germany, with the Cathedral of Counter-Strike hosting some of the biggest matchups.
The 2021 tournament was no different, with 24 teams from across the globe fighting for the prestigious title — but in the end it would be NaVi taking $400,000 for first place at the first in-person Counter-Strike event of 2021.
IEM Cologne 2021: final placements
| Placement | Team | Prize Money (USD) |
| 1 | NaVi | $400,000 |
| 2 | G2 Esports | $180,000 |
| 3-4 | Astralis | $80,000 |
| FaZe Clan | ||
| 5-6 | Virtus.Pro | $40,000 |
| Gambit Esports | ||
| 7-8 | Heroic | $24,000 |
| BIG | ||
| 9-12 | Team Liquid | $16,000 |
| Ninjas in Pyjamas | ||
| FURIA | ||
| Team Vitality | ||
| 13-16 | mousesports | $10,000 |
| Complexity | ||
| Renegades | ||
| Team Spirit | ||
| 17-20 | Team LDLC | $4,500 |
| OG | ||
| Sprout | ||
| Evil Geniuses | ||
| 21-24 | Bad News Bears | $2,500 |
| MiBR | ||
| Team One | ||
| ViCi Gaming |
IEM Cologne 2021: schedule & results
S1mple and the rest of NaVi regaining their winning ways wasn’t the only storyline to come out of Cologne though — Virtus.Pro proved they aren’t going anywhere, while FaZe shocked everyone by eliminating Gambit Esports (undoubtedly the best team during online play) in a quarterfinals win no one saw coming.
You couldn’t ask for a better storyline than FaZe Clan, Astralis, and G2 all chomping at the bit to take the top spot from NaVi after Cologne, which might be just what we have with the return of live play.
The first LAN of 2021 certainly didn’t disappoint, and you can find a complete recap of all daily scores down below:
Play-In Stage
Day 1: July 6
| Stage | Match | PT | ET | BST |
| Upper Bracket Round 1 | NiP 16-6 LDLC | 3AM | 6AM | 11AM |
| Upper Bracket Round 1 | Bad News Bears 7-16 mousesports | 3AM | 6AM | 11AM |
| Upper Bracket Round 1 | Spirit 22-18 MIBR | 3AM | 6AM | 11AM |
| Upper Bracket Round 1 | Renegades 6-16 Vitality | 4:30AM | 7:30AM | 12:30PM |
| Upper Bracket Round 1 | OG 16-6 Team One | 4:30AM | 7:30AM | 12:30PM |
| Upper Bracket Round 1 | Sprout 8-16 BIG | 4:30AM | 7:30AM | 12:30PM |
| Upper Bracket Round 1 | Evil Geniuses 12-16 FaZe Clan | 6AM | 9AM | 2PM |
| Upper Bracket Round 1 | Complexity 16-10 ViCi Gaming | 6AM | 9AM | 2PM |
| Upper Bracket Round 2 | NiP 2-0 mousesports | 7:30AM | 10:30AM | 3:30PM |
| Upper Bracket Round 2 | Spirit 1-2 Vitality | 8AM | 11AM | 4PM |
| Lower Bracket Round 1 | LDLC 2-0 Bad News Bears | 8AM | 11AM | 4PM |
| Lower Bracket Round 1 | MIBR 0-2 Renegades | 10:30AM | 1:30PM | 6:30PM |
| Upper Bracket Round 2 | BIG 2-0 OG | 11:30AM | 2:30PM | 7:30PM |
| Upper Bracket Round 2 | FaZe Clan 2-0 Complexity | 11:30AM | 2:30PM | 7:30PM |
Day 2: July 7
| Stage | Match | PT | ET | BST |
| Lower Bracket Round 1 | Team One 1-2 Sprout | 4:30AM | 7:30AM | 12:30PM |
| Lower Bracket Round 1 | Evil Geniuses 2-0 ViCi Gaming | 4:30AM | 7:30AM | 12:30PM |
| Lower Bracket Round 2 | Complexity 2-0 LDLC | 7:45AM | 10:45AM | 3:45PM |
| Lower Bracket Round 2 | OG 0-2 Renegades | 7:45AM | 10:45AM | 3:45PM |
| Lower Bracket Round 2 | Team Spirit 2-1 Sprout | 11AM | 2PM | 7PM |
| Lower Bracket Round 2 | mousesports 2-0 Evil Geniuses | 11AM | 2PM | 7PM |
Group Stage
Day 1: July 8
| Stage | Match | PT | ET | BST |
| Group A Upper Bracket Round 1 | Gambit 2-1 mousesports | 4:30AM | 7:30AM | 12:30PM |
| Group A Upper Bracket Round 1 | NiP 1-2 Liquid | 4:30AM | 7:30AM | 12:30PM |
| Group A Upper Bracket Round 1 | Virtus.pro 0-2 BIG | 7:45AM | 10:45AM | 3:45PM |
| Group A Upper Bracket Round 1 | Complexity 0-2 G2 Esports | 7:45AM | 10:45AM | 3:45PM |
| Group B Upper Bracket Round 1 | NAVI 2-1 Renegades | 11AM | 2PM | 7PM |
| Group B Upper Bracket Round 1 | Vitality 2-0 FURIA | 11AM | 2PM | 7PM |
Day 2: July 9
| Stage | Match | PT | ET | BST |
| Group B Upper Bracket Round 1 | Astralis 2-0 FaZe Clan | 4:30AM | 7:30AM | 12:30PM |
| Group B Upper Bracket Round 1 | Heroic 2-1 Spirit | 4:30AM | 7:30AM | 12:30PM |
| Group A Lower Bracket Round 1 | mousesports 1-2 Liquid | 8:55AM | 11:55AM | 3:45PM |
| Group A Upper Bracket Round 2 | Gambit 2-1 NiP | 7:45AM | 10:45AM | 3:45PM |
| Group A Lower Bracket Round 1 | Virtus.pro 2-1 Complexity | 3:40PM | 6:40PM | 11:40PM |
| Group A Upper Bracket Round 2 | BIG 1-2 G2 Esports | 10:40AM | 2:40PM | 7:40PM |
Day 3: July 10
| Stage | Match | PT | ET | BST |
| Group B Lower Bracket Round 1 | Renegades 0-2 FURIA | 4:30AM | 7:30AM | 12:30PM |
| Group B Lower Bracket Round 1 | FaZe Clan 2-1 Team Spirit | 4:30AM | 7:30AM | 12:30PM |
| Group A Lower Bracket Round 2 | BIG 2-0 Team Liquid | 7:45AM | 10:45AM | 3:45PM |
| Group B Upper Bracket Round 2 | Team Vitality 1-2 NAVI | 7:45AM | 10:45AM | 3:45PM |
| Group A Lower Bracket Round 2 | NiP 0-2 Virtus.pro | 11AM | 3PM | 10PM |
| Group B Upper Bracket Round 2 | Astralis 2-0 Heroic | 11AM | 3PM | 10PM |
Day 4: July 11
| Stage | Match | PT | ET | BST |
| Group B Lower Bracket Round 2 | Heroic 2-0 FURIA | 4:30AM | 7:30AM | 12:30PM |
| Group B Lower Bracket Round 2 | Vitality 0-2 FaZe Clan | 4:30AM | 7:30AM | 12:30PM |
| Group A Lower Bracket Final | Virtus.pro 2-0 BIG | 7:45AM | 10:45AM | 3:45PM |
| Group A Upper Bracket Final | Gambit 1-2 G2 Esports | 7:45AM | 10:45AM | 3:45PM |
| Group B Lower Bracket Final | FaZe Clan 2-1 Heroic | 11AM | 2PM | 7PM |
| Group B Upper Bracket Final | NAVI 2-1 Astralis | 11AM | 2PM | 7PM |
Playoffs
Day 1: July 16
| Stage | Match | PT | ET | BST |
| Quarterfinals | Astralis 2-1 Virtus.pro | 7AM | 10AM | 3PM |
| Quarterfinals | Gambit 1-2 FaZe Clan | 10:15AM | 1:15PM | 6:15PM |
Day 2: July 17
| Stage | Match | PT | ET | BST |
| Semifinals | G2 Esports 2-1 Astralis | 7AM | 10AM | 3PM |
| Semifinals | NAVI 2-0 FaZe Clan | 10:15AM | 1:15PM | 6:15PM |
Day 3: July 18
| Stage | Match | PT | ET | BST |
| Grand Final (BO5) | G2 Esports 0-3 NAVI | 7AM | 10AM | 3PM |
IEM Cologne 2021: teams
24 teams across the globe were invited to IEM Cologne based on their domestic results on the “Road to Cologne”. The eight top teams — six from Europe and two from NA — were seeded directly into the main event.
The other 16, including teams from South America, Oceania, and Brazil had to fight through the Play-In stage for one of eight spots in the Top 16.
You can find the full rosters of each team attending below.
| Team | Players |
| Gambit Esports | nafany, sh1ro, interz, Ax1Le, Hobbit |
| Natus Vincere | s1mple, electronic, Boombl4, Perfecto, B1T |
| Heroic | stavn, cadiaN, TeSeS, refrezh, sjuush |
| Virtus.pro | buster, qikert, Jame, SANJI, YEKINDAR |
| Astralis | dupreeh, Xyp9x, gla1ve, Magisk, Bubzkji |
| G2 Esports | JaCkz, AmaNEk, nexa, huNter-, NiKo |
| FURIA Esports | yuurih, arT, VINI, KSCERATO, honda |
| Team Liquid | EliGE, NAF, Stewie2K, Grim, FalleN |
| Team Spirit | somedieyoung, chopper, mir, magixx, degster |
| Complexity Gaming | blameF, RUSH, k0nfig, poizon, jks |
| Ninjas in Pyjamas | REZ, Plopski, hampus, dev1ce, LNZ |
| Evil Geniuses | Brehze, CeRq, stanislaw, oBo, MICHU |
| Team One | Maluk3, prt, pesadelo, malbsMd, xns |
| MIBR | chelo, yel, shz, boltz, exit |
| Renegades | malta, Sico, INS, Hatz, aliStair |
| ViCi Gaming | zhokiNg, aumaN, advent, kaze, JamYoung |
| BIG | tabseN, tiziaN, XANTARES, syrsoN, k1to |
| mousesports | ropz, frozen, Bymas, acoR, dexter |
| Team Vitality | apEX, ZywOo, shox, misutaaa, Kyojin |
| FaZe Clan | rain, olofmeister, broky, Twistzz, karrigan |
| Bad News Bears | ptr, Jonji, Swisher, Spongey, Shakezullah |
| OG | Aleksib, valde, mantuu, niko, flameZ |
| Team LDLC | SIXER, hAdji, Lambert, Maka, Keoz |
| Sprout | Spiidi, faveN, denis, kreesy, slaxz- |
