CS2 fan unboxes insanely rare knife in IEM Cologne crowd live on stream

IEM Cologne is in its playoff stage and is taking place in the LANXESS arena with a massive crowd in attendance. One fan managed to unbox a rare knife skin while on stream in the middle of the stadium.

During FaZe Clan and SAW’s quarterfinal matchup at the Germany-based tournament, ESL panned around to the crowd between rounds and found a fan in a NAVI jersey lifting his gaming PC for the camera.

The fan was showing his CS2 account opening loot boxes for skins and they managed to roll a knife skin, a Phase 4 Ursus Doppler, while the crowd cheered in excitement.

At the Paris Major in 2023, a fan pulled a similar stunt that turned out to be fake after viewers discovered the unboxing was a video and not live.

This time, the unboxing is genuine. IEM Cologne host and interviewer James Banks went to find the fan and confirmed the knife was in his account. Not only is it an Ursus Doppler, but it’s Factory New. This skin should go for around $500 USD on the skin market, but could be worth more depending on float rate and other factors.

It’s certainly not the most expensive CS knife ever pulled, but nothing to scoff at.

Counter-Strike esports crowds have a history of creating chaos and memorable moments at major events. In 2023 a fan brought in a trumpet with him and led the crowd in chants using the instrument, and in 2022 one fan allegedly spat on a NAVI player.

IEM Cologne has been billed as a legendary event thanks to 2024 being its 10th year running and the history behind the German tournament.

The playoff stage began on August 16, and it was the first portion of the event to feature a major crowd in attendance. The group and play-in stages were played without fans.

The final stage of the tournament is set to include some of the CS2 teams with the biggest fan bases, as G2 Esports, FaZe, NAVI, and Team Vitality are all still fighting for a trophy.