The Intel Extreme Masters IEM Chengdu 2024 Grand Finals have concluded, with FaZe Clan being crowned champions and claiming the trophy.
Despite FaZe Clan’s rocky beginning during the Group Stage, the team showed that they can thrive on the big stage. Fuelled by the support and energy of the audience, they took their competition by storm, dominating their opponents during the Playoffs, pushing through the lower bracket of the Group Stage, and coming out on top in the Grand Final.
Returning to Chengdu for the first time since 2009, the event saw a peak viewership of over 330,000. Fans from China and beyond had the opportunity to come to the Chengdu Performing Arts Centre and experience the competition live across three days during the Playoff Stage.
The IEM Chengdu 2024 Group Stage
The tournament commenced on April 8th with the Group Stage, with the IEM Chengdu 2024 broadcast talent including UK-based casters Ne0kai, LucyLuce, BDog, Skriv and more.
16 teams were split into two groups of eight, where the top two teams from the upper bracket and the top team from the lower bracket advanced to the Playoffs.
Among strong international teams, the competition saw a great representation of local heroes from Lynn Vision Gaming, Tyloo, and Steel Helmet in their attempt to secure the coveted trophy in their homeland.
In Group A, the German organisation Mouz secured the top spot in the upper bracket, conceding just one game in the Semifinals against Furia Esports. Team Liquid took second place in the upper bracket, and G2 Esports beat out Heroic in the lower bracket Final to secure third place and reach the Playoffs.
Group B saw Astralis, the IEM Beijing 2019 Champions, showcase their prowess once again in China by dominating the upper bracket flawlessly, winning every game. Virtus.pro came second, and FaZe Clan put up an impressive performance in the lower bracket, emerging victorious and securing the third spot in the Playoffs.
What happened in the Playoffs?
The final stage of the competition kicked off on Friday, April 12th, with a quarter-final clash between IEM Cologne 2023 Champions, G2 Esports, and Virtus.pro.
A stellar performance by G2 Esports saw them advance to the semi-final with a 2-0 win. The second quarter-final saw IEM Katowice 2024 runners-up FaZe Clan face off against the NA powerhouse Team Liquid in a tight battle. After a high performance from both teams, FaZe Clan proved their dominance over Team Liquid on Mirage, advancing into the semi-final with a 2-1 score.
Saturday April 13th saw the semi-final take place in a filled-out arena, with fans at the edge of their seats watching four teams go neck to neck, eager to see which two will face off during the IEM Chengdu Final. Mouz were the first one to score a close 3-2 victory over G2, eliminating the crowd’s favorites and securing the coveted spot in the Grand Final.
The second team to join them was FaZe Clan, sending their rivals Astralis home with a 3-2 win after a heated battle.
The IEM Chengdu 2024 Grand Final
After a close race against their opponents during the Playoffs, both FaZe Clan and Mouz each won a place in the Grand Final, eliminating some of the top squads along the way. The last time these teams went head-to-head was during the IEM Katowice 2024 semi-final, where FaZe Clan sent home Mouz with a clean 2-0 victory, leaving them hungry for revenge.
The first game on Mouz’s map pick, Overpass, saw FaZe Clan leading 8-4 at halftime. Mouz put up a good fight in the second half, claiming six rounds, but ultimately lost to FaZe Clan, who secured a 13-10 victory.
The second game started out similarly to the first, with FaZe Clan once again leading 8-4 at halftime. Mouz fought hard but couldn’t catch up, and a dominating performance from FaZe Clan saw them win 13-6, claiming the best-of-three victory and taking the title of Champions at IEM Chengdu 2024.
“We played really really good CS today. I think Overpass was one of the best we’ve had. Nuke was also very solid,” said Filip ‘NEO’ Kubski, coach of FaZe Clan. “I feel honoured, it’s an incredible team. So much talent around. Very smart guys, hard working guys. It’s been a great ride so far.”
With their win, FaZe Clan took home $100,000 of the $250,000 total prize pool, while also securing their spot in the IEM Cologne 2024 Group Stage and a second point in the race to secure the Intel Grand Slam V.
Helvijs ‘broky’ Saukants was also awarded the EPT DHL MVP award for his excellent performance throughout the tournament and in the Grand Final.
Dom is an award-winning writer and finalist of the Esports Journalist of the Year 2023 award. He graduated from Bournemouth University with a 2:1 degree in Multi-Media Journalism in 2007.
As a long-time gamer having first picked up the NES controller in the late ’80s, he has written for a range of publications including GamesTM, Nintendo Official Magazine, industry publication MCV and others. He worked as head of content for the British Esports Federation up until February 2021, when he stepped back to work full-time on Esports News UK and offer esports consultancy and freelance services. Note: Dom still produces the British Esports newsletter on a freelance basis, so our coverage of British Esports is always kept simple – usually just covering the occasional press release – because of this conflict of interest.
