Historic Tournament for Imperial Female at IEM Katowice 2025: a new era for Women in CS2?

From January 30 to February 9, 2025, Intel Extreme Masters Katowice 2025 takes center stage, not only as a tournament boasting a $1 million prize pool but also due to its remarkable lineup of teams. Among the participants is Imperial Female, the first-ever women’s team in history to compete at an event of this caliber. In this article, we’ll take a closer look at how IEM Katowice 2025 unfolded for Imperial Fe and what made their journey stand out.

Imperial Fe vs. FURIA Esports

Before heading into IEM Katowice 2025, Imperial Female participated in BLAST Bounty Spring 2025: Closed Qualifier, where they faced Natus Vincere. Despite losing 2-0, their performance surprised many fans. As a result, based on Valve Global Standings (01/06), they received an invitation to IEM Katowice 2025. Their presence raised curiosity, as male teams had never faced a women’s lineup at such a level before. Adding to the intrigue, Imperial Fe had shown a solid fight against NAVI in the qualifiers.

In the Play-In stage, their first opponent was FURIA Esports, a team far from being considered weak. What happened on the first map was nothing short of extraordinary. Imperial Fe, despite losing the first half 3-9, pulled off an astonishing comeback in the second, mirroring the exact scoreline to push the match into overtime. Although they ultimately lost 16-13, their near-victory was unprecedented—a women’s team competing on par with a top-tier men’s team in CS2. Even FURIA’s players admitted post-match that they were close to losing. However, the second map didn’t deliver another upset, as Imperial Female suffered a 1-13 defeat, showing that once male teams adapted to their unfamiliar playstyle, they had little trouble securing victory.

Imperial Fe vs. BIG

Following their loss to FURIA, Imperial Fe dropped to the lower bracket, where they faced BIG. This time, it was evident that BIG took the strongest women’s team in the scene seriously, refusing to underestimate them. They displayed a dominant performance, securing a 2-0 victory with 13-4 and 13-5 map scores.

Conclusion

Thus, Imperial Female completed their debut at a major international tournament. While they didn’t advance further, they showcased a level of play that few expected. How would you rate Imperial Fe’s performance at IEM Katowice 2025?