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Tournament edition

Intel Extreme Masters XV - World Championship

Intel Extreme Masters XV - World Championship was a 24-team Counter-Strike: Global Offensive tournament played online in Europe from February 16 to 28, 2021. Gambit Esports defeated Virtus.pro in the final.

Tournament editionCOMPLETEDSeries: Intel Extreme Masters
Intel Extreme Masters XV - World Championship
Intel Extreme Masters logo (2019 visual identity); edition-specific official artwork was not verified. · ESL, Intel Extreme Masters 2019 logo; local asset converted from (identifies eslgaming.com/brand as the source).
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Updated October 29, 2026

Competition snapshot

Combined prize pool

USD 1m[1][2]

Participant scale

24 teams[1][2]

Category

Organizer

Commercial note

Tournament organizer (ESL) · Recorded in the 2021 edition.[4]

Category

Title Sponsor

Partner

Intel

Commercial note

IEM title partner · Recorded in the 2021 edition.[6]

Category

Official Partner

Commercial note

Official PC partner for IEM Season XV · Recorded in the 2021 edition.[7]

Category

Sponsor

Partner

GG.BET

Commercial note

Event partner listed by Liquipedia · Recorded in the 2021 edition.[1]

Category

Sponsor

Commercial note

Event partner listed by Liquipedia · Recorded in the 2021 edition.[1]

Category

Sponsor

Partner

DHL

Commercial note

Event partner listed by Liquipedia · Recorded in the 2021 edition.[1]

Category

Official Partner

Partner

Katowice

Commercial note

Local city branding initiative partner · Recorded in the 2021 edition.[1]

PTG Database Analysis

The competition was held online in Europe after ESL moved away from an in-person event during the COVID-19 pandemic. Its 16-team Play-In fed eight teams into a group stage with eight direct invites. Gambit Esports beat Virtus.pro in the final. The actual Play-In field included replacement teams after TYLOO, ex-Chaos and Illuminar withdrew or could not field lineups.[1][2][3]

References9
  1. [1]Intel Extreme Masters Season XV - World Championship — Liquipedia
  2. [2]IEM Katowice 2021 overview — HLTV
  3. [3]IEM Katowice 2021 Play-In overview — HLTV
  4. [4]ESL unveils 2021 tournament calendar — ESL
  5. [5]IEM Katowice 2021 to be played without an audience — HLTV
  6. [6]ESL Gaming and Intel announce 20 years of esports collaboration — ESL FACEIT Group
  7. [7]ESL Announces Partnership Extension with Acer for Intel Extreme Masters — ESL FACEIT Group
  8. [8]IEM Katowice 2021 image reuse audit — ESL, Wikimedia Commons and Unsplash
  9. [9]IEM v2019 logo.svg — ESL, via Wikimedia Commons

Commercial opportunities

Title partner

Intel backed the IEM series as title partner.[6]

Official PC partner

Acer Predator was IEM's official PC partner during season 15.[7]

Event partner

Liquipedia lists GG.BET as an event partner.[8]

Event partner

Liquipedia lists DHL as an event partner.[8]

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Related entities

EuropeFaZe Clan Counter-Strike 2FURIA Counter-Strike 2G2 Esports Counter-Strike 2MIBR Counter-Strike 2MOUZ Counter-Strike 2Natus Vincere Counter-Strike 2Team Spirit Counter-Strike 2Team Vitality Counter-Strike 2