Imperial Fe sets all-time women's viewership record during NAVI match
The round one match between Imperial Fe and NAVI at BLAST Bounty Season 1 reached a peak of 490,804 viewers, the highest ever for a match featuring a women's Counter-Strike team.
It might be the most watched match featuring a women's team in the history of esports, as it even beat the peak set by the VALORANT Game Changers Championship 2024. The grand final between Shopify Rebellion and MIBR this past November peaked at 464,695 viewers, which was up more than 150,000 from the year prior. The highest peak viewership from a women's CS event is 100,679 viewers during ESL Impact League Season 1.
The match between Imperial Fe and NAVI, which saw the Brazilian women's roster hold their own against HLTV's Team of the Year from 2024, is also the most watched match at BLAST Bounty Season 1 so far. The next highest was NiKo's Falcons debut against ENCE, which peaked at 304,897 viewers.
While Imperial Fe ultimately did fall to NAVI, the players left a positive impression on the thousands of viewers who had never seen the team play before. The Imperial Fe players will have another chance to impress on the international stage later this month, at the IEM Katowice Play-in.
