IEM Chengdu 2024 kicked off — most popular matches of the first day

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IEM Chengdu 2024 kicked off in China on March 8th, marking the second tournament in the Intel Extreme Masters series for Counter-Strike 2 this year. The event drew in over 252K Peak Viewers right from the start, and some unexpected results already happened: seems like not all favorites will make it to the playoff stage.

In Group A, Team Liquid showcased strong performance, securing victories against both HEROIC and G2 Esports: only one of these teams can advance to the playoffs through the lower bracket now. The most anticipated match of the first day took place in the same group: the showdown between FURIA Esports and MOUZ, attracting almost 253K PV. Unfortunately for Brazilian fans, FURIA Esports fell short, losing to MOUZ and then to HEROIC in the lower bracket, leaving no Brazilian representatives in the tournament. This is sure to impact the overall viewership statistics for the tournament.

There were two surprising outcomes in Group B right off the bat: Astralis confidently defeated FaZe Clan (the finalists of the previous major only managed to secure 11 rounds across two maps), while FlyQuest proved stronger than Cloud9 in a best-of-1 match. Now, FaZe Clan and Cloud9 will face each other in the lower bracket, and one of these teams will not advance to the playoffs. 

The playoffs of IEM Chengdu 2024 will feature the top six teams from the group stage; finals to take place from April 12th to April 14th. You can follow the event's progress on the coverage page.