The race for the Intel Grand Slam Season 5 crown is wide open. Natus Vincere have now tied reigning champion FaZe Clan, thanks to their win at IEM Rio.
The race for the Intel Grand Slam Season 5 crown is wide open. Natus Vincere have now tied reigning champion FaZe Clan, thanks to their win at IEM Rio.
The race for the Intel Grand Slam Season 5 is wide open!
With their convincing victory at IEM Rio last Sunday, Natus Vincere have cemented their status as the current world number one Counter-Strike team.
The key difference in this IGS race: NaVi have six more chances than their rivals to claim the crown.
To secure a Grand Slam, a team needs to win four ESL Pro Tour trophies within a span of ten events, with the condition that at least one of those victories must come from a Championship-level tournament (such as IEM Katowice, IEM Cologne, or an ESL-operated Major).
Below, you can see the current state of the race for the IGS:
The first team to win 2 #ESLProTour events in a row in 2024!@natusvincere's win at #IEM Rio 2024 marks their second notch in season 5 of the #IntelGrandSlam! pic.twitter.com/fKHBDZD67S
— ESL Counter-Strike (@ESLCS) October 13, 2024
NaVi recently claimed the IEM Rio title, adding it to their ESL Pro League Season 20 victory from the previous month, making them the first team in 2024 to win back-to-back ESL Pro Tour tournaments. They now have eight chances left to win two more trophies, though one must come from a Championship tournament.
IT HAS BEEN DONE.YOUR #IEM RIO 2024 CHAMPIONS @natusvincere pic.twitter.com/dzDRaeG87I
— ESL Counter-Strike (@ESLCS) October 13, 2024
FaZe kicked off their Grand Slam bid by winning IEM Sydney 2023, followed by a second victory six months later at IEM Chengdu 2024. However, Finn "karrigan" Andersen's squad has no margin for error, as they must win the next two eligible events, including one Championship tournament, to remain in contention.