IEM Katowice 2023 – Preview

The Intel Extreme Masters, or IEM, is one of the most competitive tournament circuits in the Counter-Strike: Global Offensive scene. In 2023, this circuit kicks off as usual, with IEM Katowice 2023 on February 1.

The world’s top 24 CS:GO teams will travel to Poland to fight for a share of the juicy $1,000,000 prize pool and the coveted IEM trophy.

Only eight of these 24 participating teams have secured their place in the tournament’s Group Stage. Therefore, the remaining eight spots will be contested by the rest of the 16 teams through the IEM Katowice 2023 playoffs.

Format and dates

IEM Katowice 2023 kicks off with the Play-In phase from February 1-3, 2023. In this phase, 16 teams will compete in a double-elimination bracket, starting with best-of-one matches in the opening games, while the rest will be best-of-three matches.

As the tournament progresses, the 16 teams are divided into Upper and Lower Brackets, with the four winners of each group advancing to the Group Stage.

The Group Phase is played from February 4 to 7, and these 16 remaining teams, i.e., the eight direct qualifiers and the eight from the Play-In phase, are divided into groups A and B.

All Group Phase matches will be played in a best-of-three double-elimination format. The winners advance directly to the semifinals. Second-place finishers advance to the Upper Bracket quarterfinals, while third-place finishers advance to the Lower Bracket quarterfinals.

After the group stage, the knockout rounds will take place from February 10 to 12. The matches are played in a single-elimination format, with best-of-three matches in the quarterfinals and semifinals, while the grand final match is a best-of-five.

IEM Katowice 2023 Prize Pool

The prize pool for IEM Katowice 2023 will be $1,000,000. Therefore, the winner will take the lion’s share of the prize money ($400,000) plus direct qualification for IEM Cologne 2023, played from July 25 to August 6, 2023.

IEM Katowice participating teams

As mentioned in a previous article, the participants in IEM Katowice 2023 will be a total of 24 teams, including the 16 teams from the Play-In phase and those that qualify directly for the Group Phase.

Directly qualified teams

• FaZe Clan
• Team Vitality
• Outsiders
• Heroic
• Team Liquid
• NaVi
• G2 Esports
• MOUZ

Heroic, Team Liquid, NaVi, G2 Esports, and MOUZ qualified directly, thanks to their position in the ESL world rankings. On the other hand, FaZe got the ticket for this event edition thanks to its victory at IEM Cologne 2022. Finally, Team Vitality and Outsiders qualified thanks to their victories at ESL Pro League S16 and IEM Rio Major, respectively.

Teams in Play-In phase

• Ninjas in Pyjamas
• Team Spirit
• Cloud9
• Complexity Gaming
• FURIA Esports
• MIBR
• IHC Esports
• Grayhound Gaming
• OG
• ENCE
• BIG
• Sprout
• paiN Gaming
• Evil Geniuses
• Fnatic
• Permitta Esports

Groups in the Group Stage

Group A

• NaVi, G2 Esports, FaZe Clan, and Team Liquid + four Play-In teams

Group B

• Heroic, Outsiders, Team Vitality and MOUZ + four Play-In teams

The first group is already a direct shock because of each of the names, but Group B also looks highly competitive, including the last Major’s two finalists. This news has created even more hype for CS:GO fans just a few days before the start of the game.

Header: ESL