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.
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:
 EnVyUs |
 Na`Vi |
 G2 |
 NiP |
 questionmark |
 Virtus.pro |
 Luminosity |
fnatic |
 E-frag |
EU qualifier #2 |
 NA qualifier |
 IEM Taipei winner |
Source: HLTV.org
