IEM Cologne was one of 2021’s leading Counter-Strike: Global Offensive tournaments. The event brought together 24 teams from all around the world, with a $1m (~£730,561) prize pool up for grabs and three stages of play.
CS:GO is the fourth game in the Counter-Strike series, with the title’s first release published on November 9, 2000. Even though CS:GO was released nearly 9 years ago, the game is still top-rated online and has millions of fans watching its esports scene, as seen by IEM Cologne’s viewership. Esports Charts recorded that the event’s final reached a peak viewership of 842,968, which makes it the third-highest IEM competition.