The organizers explain the pause between the IEM Winter 2021 playoffs

Tournament organizer ESL explained there was a five-day pause between IEM Winter 2021 playoff matches. Ulrich Schulze, Vice President of Product at ESL, explained the reason for the break between the quarter-finals and the semi-finals of the championship. According to him, the organizers planned to hold the IEM Winter 2021 playoffs in the arena, but later this became impossible. As a result, the schedule was approved in advance, which made it impossible to adjust it.

Initially, we divided the tournament in such a way that the arena matches were separate from the previous stage. This was necessary to create excitement about these matches, and also so that spectators in the stadium could know about them in advance. This decision became less obvious after we realized that this year it will not be possible to organize an event with the presence of fans.

Schulze also said that next year ESL will maintain the tradition of splitting the time between the group stage and the playoffs at the major championships.

In 2022, IEM Katowice and IEM Cologne will take place with a four-day break before the three-day decisive stage. At the same time, the events in China and the United States will last only one week. We believe that the right balance is achieved in this way. With a $ 1 million prize pool at stake, teams and fans will have time to prepare for the playoffs, and in a $ 250,000 competition, the winner will be determined a week after the first match.

IEM Winter 2021 takes place from December 2 to December 12 in Stockholm. Sixteen teams from around the world are competing for a $ 250,000 prize pool. In addition to the cash reward, the teams compete for ESL Pro Tour points, which contribute to the qualification for IEM Katowice 2022. Four teams will take part in the semifinals of the tournament: G2, NIP, Virtus.pro and Vitality.