s1mple's FaZe debut leads to 800k+ viewers for IEM Dallas 2025 openers

Update: This article previously stated that the FaZe vs. Liquid match drew 800,000 viewers alone. However, those numbers also included the viewership of GamerLegion vs. 3DMAX. We regret the error.

The opening round of IEM Dallas 2025 marked the return of Oleksandr "s1mple" Kostyljev to competition and his FaZe debut, and as expected, a lot of CS2 fans tuned in to watch the Ukrainian play.

According to EsportsCharts, the first round peaked at 803,966 viewers, with most of the viewers coming from Evelone's Russian co-stream. Although the FaZe vs. Liquid match played a larger role in these numbers, they also include GamerLegion vs. 3DMAX.

While FaZe didn't win, it's fair to say s1mple didn't let his fans down. The CS:GO GOAT had a quiet game on Ancient, but popped off on Inferno and was FaZe's top-fragger with a 21-13 K/D.

The Ukrainian won a couple of clutches at the end of the map, but it wasn't enough to force a third map.

Nonetheless, these numbers go to show that s1mple's impact lives on despite him barely playing CS2 competitively.

FaZe will have to win three consecutive best-of-threes to make the playoffs, which would be s1mple's first arena match since Gamers8 2023.