Before the competition it became emotional: with a speech, NaVi captain Oleksandr "s1mple" Kostyliev opened the knockout round of the IEM Katowice: "We have to stand together as a unit, with our fans, with our friends, with everyone who will follow this tournament.»

The Ukrainian organization NaVi is not only one of the best counter-strike teams in the world, but has been competing for years with a mix of Russian and Ukrainian players. "Above all, we must remain human," stressed s1mple in his address.

This was followed by a spectacle for all CS:GO fans in the Spodek Arena. G2 Esports first defeated Virtus.Pro after three extensions with 25:22. With a clear 16: 5 victory in the second game, the Berlin organization then secured its place in the semifinals.

In the second match of the day, FaZe Clan also beat Gambit 2-0. Faze was initially able to win the card chosen by Gambit with a score of 16:5. On the second card it got a little tighter, but again the winner was called Faze - this time with 16:11.