The recently concluded IEM Melbourne 2025 witnessed an extraordinary event within the CS community, marking its place with the second-highest peak viewership for a non-Major tournament in CS history. Fans from around the globe were captivated as the grand final showdown between Vitality and Falcons attracted a staggering 1.25 million viewers, as per data shared by Esports Charts. This grand spectacle showcased the essence of competitive gaming at its finest.
Comparatively, IEM Katowice 2025 stands as the sole non-Major CS competition surpassing Melbourne in terms of viewership, having reached a peak of 1.3 million viewers. The thrilling clash between Vitality and Team Spirit at Katowice created ripples of excitement, with Vitality emerging victorious against the reigning champions of Katowice and Shanghai Major.
Surpassing renowned Major events such as Katowice 2019, FACEIT London 2018, and Krakow 2017 in viewership, the Australian LAN event offered a platform for intense gaming moments. The strategic timing of the matches catered well to the European audience, albeit causing inconvenience to viewers from the Americas due to the early morning game schedules in their time zones.
From April 21 to 27, the battleground of IEM Melbourne 2025 in Australia hosted fierce competitions as teams competed for a prize pool of $300k. The climactic grand final between Vitality and Falcons resulted in a gripping 3:2 victory for Vitality. Notably, Vitality staged a remarkable comeback from a 6:12 score deficit in the decisive map, Nuke, eventually sealing the game in the third overtime. This triumph not only crowned Vitality as the champions of IEM Melbourne but also earned them the prestigious ESL Grand Slam S5 trophy.
