The highly anticipated Intel Extreme Masters Championship came to a close with a victory for Team Vitality after a hotly contested final that spilled into overtime. Team Vitality clawed their way to victory over Navi with a final score of 16 to 14 that secured the championship and won them the $400,000 prize money.
On top of the $400,000 prize money, Team Vitality also received invitations to the Blast Premier World Final as well as Katowice 2025, making their dreams of a grand slam far more than a pipe dream.
This win marks their first ever IEM Cologne Championship, with Mathieu “ZywOo” Herbaut running away with the DHL ESL Pro Tour Most Valuable Player (MVP) title for his insane performances throughout the tournament.
img: Team Vitality 3-1 win over Navi – src: @IEM
The Most Watched Non-Major Counter-Strike Competition of 2024
This year’s Championship at the Cathedral of Counter-Strike drew an unprecedented 39,000 people to the event as fans clamored to catch a glimpse of the world’s best duke it out for the coveted title. Fans worldwide showed their full support and adoration for the event as the viewership numbers hit a peak of 1,051,810, making it the most watched non-Major Counter-Strike competition of the year.
This achievement made IEM Cologne 2024 the third highest non-major event of all time, coming third to IEM Cologne 2022 and IEM Katowice 2022, two events that featured FaZe in their prime as they swept both events that year.
Team Vitality were faced with fierce competition as their road to the finals saw them up against some of the tournament’s finest with Mouz, G2, SAW, and finally Natus Vincere in a tightly knit final that spilled into overtime.
Img: ZywOo DHL MVP IEM Cologne 2024 – src: Intel Extreme Masters
ZywOo stepped up to the plate to clutch a victory for Team Vitality by single-handedly winning two rounds for his team, greatly emphasizing his importance and highlighting his immense role in Team Vitality’s win.
Natus Vincere never intended to go down without a fight and began a vicious recovery effort by winning six rounds in a row, an astounding show of their mentality and drive. Unfortunately, all this was for naught as Vitality drove the final dagger deep into the hearts of the Natus Vincere with a triple kill from William “mezii” Merriman that sealed their fate and won Team Vitality their first IEM Cologne Championship.
Intel Extreme Masters Cologne 2024 Standings
With the event coming to a close, here’s how all the teams involved performed.
| Place | Prize | Team name |
| 1 | $400,000 + invitation to IEM Katowice 2025 and BLAST Premier World Final | Team Vitality |
| 2 | $180,000 | Natus Vincere |
| 3-4 | $80,000 | MOUZ, SAW |
| 5-6 | $40,000 | G2 Esports, FaZe Clan |
| 7-8 | $24,000 | paiN Gaming, Team Liquid |
| 9-12 | $16,000 | The MongolZ, Astralis, Team Falcons, Complexity Gaming |
| 13-16 | $10,000 | 9z Team, Team Spirit, Virtus.pro, FURIA Esports |
| 17-20 | $4,500 | BIG, Heroic, MIBR, Eternal Fire |
| 21-24 | $2,500 | ALTERNATE aTTaX, 3DMAX, Imperial Esports, FlyQuest |
Upcoming Events
With IEM Rio 2024 right around the corner, the hunt for the Intel Grand Slam keeps heating up. With Team Vitality now in the running and G2 on the brink of falling out of the race, the event is shaping up to be one for the ages as the competition is greater and the stakes are higher than ever. Will G2 do the impossible, or will Vitality do the double? Find out this October.
