Vitality win IEM Winter 2021
ESLCSGO is winding down for the year, but IEM Winter 2021 sent things off in style. The second-last “big event” of 2021 saw 16 teams duke it out for $250,000. We’ve got all the details on IEM Winter 2021 right here, including a recap of results as they happened.
- Vitality Sweep NIP 3-0 in Finals, locking up the IEM Winter 2021 win
- G2 fall to NIP, setting up Vitality vs NIP in Finals on Dec 12
- Winner will earn $100,000
There’s only two big CS:GO events left on the calendar in 2021: IEM Winter 2021, and the BLAST Premier World Final. It’s a bit of a pre-holiday treat for Counter-Strike fans, especially after November’s Stockholm Major.
IEM Winter 2021 will feature 16 sides looking for redemption after the Major. Although champions Natus Vincere won’t be in attendance, their rivals will be fighting tooth and nail to try and claim one last bit of silverware heading into the player break.
We’ve got all the details on IEM Winter 2021 right here, including the streams to watch, the latest schedule and results, and the teams participating.
Contents
IEM Winter 2021: Recap
NIP and Vitality both had plenty of close calls during the Groups and Playoff stages, but managed to make the Grand Finals. Both teams came from Group A along with G2, while Group B saw Gambit, Virtus.Pro and Godsent advance to the playoffs.
Godsent and Gambit would be knocked out in the first round by NIP and Vitality, respectively. After that, Vitality took down VP 2-0 and NIP survived against G2 2-1 to advance to the Grand Finals.
On Finals Day December 12, it was all Team Vitality though. NIP just couldn’t get a rhythm going, which let ZywOo and company waltz away with an easy 3-0 win, $100,000 in prize money, and the IEM Winter 2021 title.
IEM Winter 2021: Schedule & results
Playoffs
Day 1: December 5
| Stage | Match | PT | ET | GMT |
| Quarterfinals | NiP 2-1 GODSENT | 7AM | 10AM | 3PM |
| Vitality 2-1 Gambit | 10:15AM | 1:15PM | 6:15PM |
Day 2: December 11
| Stage | Match | PT | ET | GMT |
| Semifinals | Virtus.pro 0-2 Vitality | 7AM | 10AM | 3PM |
| G2 Esports 1-2 NIP | 10:15AM | 1:15PM | 6:15PM |
Day 3: December 12
| Stage | Match | PT | ET | GMT |
| Grand Final | Vitality 3-0 NIP | 7AM | 10AM | 3PM |
Group Stage
Day 1: December 2
| Group | Match | PT | ET | GMT |
| Group A Upper Bracket Round 1 | NIP 16-8 Astralis | 3AM | 6AM | 11AM |
| Vitality 19-16 MOUZ | 3AM | 6AM | 11AM | |
| G2 Esports 16-13 TYLOO | 4:10AM | 7:10AM | 12:10PM | |
| OG 12-16 Liquid | 4:10AM | 7:10AM | 12:10PM | |
| Group B Upper Bracket Round 1 | Gambit 16-9 Fnatic | 5:20AM | 8:20AM | 1:20PM |
| ENCE 17-19 Virtus.pro | 5:20AM | 8:20AM | 1:20PM | |
| FaZe Clan 17-19 BIG | 6:30AM | 9:30AM | 2:30PM | |
| GODSENT 16-13 Heroic | 6:30AM | 9:30AM | 2:30PM | |
| Group A Upper Bracket Round 2 | NIP 0-2 Vitality | 7:40AM | 10:40AM | 3:40PM |
| Group A Lower Bracket Round 1 | Astralis 2-0 MOUZ | 7:40AM | 10:40AM | 3:40PM |
| Group A Upper Bracket Round 2 | G2 2-0 Liquid | 11:10AM | 2:10PM | 7:10PM |
| Group A Lower Bracket Round 1 | TYLOO 0-2 OG | 11:10AM | 2:10PM | 7:10PM |
Day 2: December 3
| Group | Match | PT | ET | GMT |
| Group B Lower Bracket Round 1 | Fnatic 2-0 ENCE | 4:30AM | 7:30AM | 12:30PM |
| FaZe 2-0 Heroic | 4:30AM | 7:30AM | 12:30PM | |
| Group A Lower Bracket Round 2 | Astralis 0-2 Liquid | 7:45AM | 10:45AM | 3:45PM |
| Group B Upper Bracket Round 2 | Gambit 0-2 Virtus.pro | 7:45AM | 10:45AM | 3:45PM |
| Group A Lower Bracket Round 2 | NIP 2-1 OG | 11AM | 2PM | 7PM |
| Group B Upper Bracket Round 2 | BIG 1-2 GODSENT | 11AM | 2PM | 7PM |
Day 3: December 4
| Group | Match | PT | ET | GMT |
| Group B Lower Bracket Round 2 | Fnatic 2-1 BIG | 4:30AM | 7:30AM | 12:30PM |
| FaZe 1-2 Gambit | 4:30AM | 7:30AM | 12:30PM | |
| Group A Upper Bracket Round 3 | Vitality 1-2 G2 Esports | 7:45AM | 10:45AM | 3:45PM |
| Group A Lower Bracket Round 3 | Team Liquid 0-2 NIP | 7:45AM | 10:45AM | 3:45PM |
| Group B Upper Bracket Round 3 | Virtus.pro 2-0 GODSENT | 11AM | 2PM | 7PM |
| Group B Lower Bracket Round 3 | Fnatic 1-2 Gambit | 11AM | 2PM | 7PM |
IEM Winter 2021: Final placements
| Placement | Team | EPL Points | Prize Money (USD) |
| 1 | Team Vitality | 1000 | $100,000 |
| 2 | NIP | 750 | $42,000 |
| 3-4 | G2 Esports | 525 | $20,000 |
| Virtus.Pro | |||
| 5-6 | Gambit | 350 | $10,000 |
| GODSENT | |||
| 7-8 | Team Liquid | 200 | $6,000 |
| Fnatic | |||
| 9-12 | OG | 100 | $5,000 |
| Astralis | |||
| BIG | |||
| FaZe Clan | |||
| 13-16 | TYLOO | – | $4,000 |
| MOUZ | |||
| ENCE | |||
| Heroic |
IEM Winter 2021: Teams & groups
16 teams took part in IEM Winter 2021 — but Major champions Natus Vincere were not one of them. However, G2 Esports and Team Vitality — their finals opponents from both the Major and BLAST Fall Finals respectively — were in attendance, with the latter taking home the championship.
The new-look Astralis were also contending for their first title with an overhauled roster, but were unable to make it through the Group Stage.
You can find the IEM Winter 2021 teams, and the groups they’ve were divided into, down below.
Group A
| Team | Region | Players |
| Astralis | Europe | Xyp9x, gla1ve, Lucky, k0nfig, blameF |
| G2 Esports | Europe | JaCkz, AmaNEk, huNter-, NiKo, kennyS |
| MOUZ | Europe | ropz, frozen, Bymas, acoR, dexter |
| Ninjas in Pyjamas | Europe | REZ, Plopski, hampus, dev1ce, es3tag |
| OG | Europe | Aleksib, valde, mantuu, niko, flameZ |
| Team Liquid | North America | EliGE, NAF, Stewie2K, Grim, FalleN |
| Team Vitality | Europe | apEX, ZywOo, shox, misutaaa, Kyojin |
| TYLOO | Asia | somebody, Summer, Attacker, SLOWLY, DANK1NG |
Group B
| Team | Region | Players |
| BIG | Europe | tabseN, tiziaN, syrsoN, k1to, gade |
| ENCE | Europe | doto, SPinx, dycha, hades, maden |
| FaZe Clan | Europe | rain, olofmeister, broky, Twistzz, karrigan |
| Fnatic | Europe | KRIMZ, Brollan, ALEX, mezii, smooya |
| Gambit Esports | CIS | nafany, sh1ro, interz, Ax1Le, Hobbit |
| GODSENT | Brazil | TACO, felps, latto, b4rtiN, dumau |
| Heroic | Europe | stavn, cadiaN, TeSeS, refrezh, sjuush |
| Virtus.pro | CIS | buster, qikert, Jame, SANJI, YEKINDAR |