E-frag.net won the first online qualifier for IEM Katowice after beating Gambit Gaming 2-0 in the grand final (16-10 on de_dust2 and 16-4 on de_mirage).

A total of 183 teams from all over Europe took part in the first of two open online qualifiers for IEM Katowice, be the next big CS:GO tournament hosted by ESL, with a minimum of $250,000 on offer.

Upsets tend to rule in open qualifiers, and this one was no exception as heavy-hitters like mousesports, SK Gaming and dignitas did not even make it to the last-eight stage, sparking criticism at the format from several top players.



pNshr helped E-frag to qualify for the IEM event in Katowice

E-frag.net, who competed in the qualifier with Nikolay "⁠pNshr⁠" Paunin as a stand-in for VAC-banned player Simeon "⁠dream3r⁠" Ganev, faced the new Gambit Gaming lineup in the grand final, and it was a one-way street from the beginning as the Bulgarian side ran out 2-0 victors in convincing fashion, dropping just 14 rounds in the process.

IEM Katowice 2016 EU Qualifier #1 Best of 3 Gambit Matchpage 0 2 E-frag.net 10 Dust2 16 4 Mirage 16

Registration for the the second European qualifier, which will be held next weekend, is already open. The list of participants for IEM Katowice currently looks as follows: