IEM Katowice 2025 is set to make history as the first major Counter-Strike event to feature a women’s team in the main competition. Imperial Fe has secured a spot in the play-in stage, marking a significant milestone for women’s esports. The tournament, scheduled from January 29 to February 9, boasts a $1 million prize pool and will host 24 top-tier teams.
Eight teams have earned direct invitations to the group stage based on their Valve Regional Standings as of January 6, 2025. The remaining 16 teams will battle through a double-elimination, best-of-three play-in stage to determine which eight will advance to join the invited teams.
Notable participants include NAVI, Team Vitality, and reigning Shanghai Major champions Team Spirit. Team Falcons received an invitation due to their acquisition of most of HEROIC’s roster, who had originally qualified based on VRS rankings.
The tournament will take place at the iconic Spodek Arena in Katowice, Poland, which can accommodate up to 11,000 spectators. This venue has been a staple of the Intel Extreme Masters series since its inception in 2007.
IEM Katowice 2025 is part of the Intel Grand Slam, a prestigious achievement awarded to the first team that wins four out of ten consecutive ESL-organized events. The defending champions, Team Spirit, who triumphed over FaZe Clan in the 2024 grand finals, will return to defend their title.
The full list of participating teams includes:
- G2 Esports
- Team Spirit
- The Mongolz
- Team Vitality
- FaZe Clan
- MOUZ
- NAVI
- Team Falcons
- Team Liquid
- FURIA Esports
- Pain Gaming
- MIBR
- 3DMAX
- Eternal Fire
- GamerLegion
- Complexity
- SAW
- BIG
- FlyQuest
- Astralis
- Wildcard Gaming
- Virtus.Pro
- Imperial Fe
- HEROIC
Imperial Fe’s qualification comes on the heels of their victory in the sixth season of ESL Impact in November 2024, where they secured a $50,000 prize. Their presence at IEM Katowice 2025 represents a significant step forward for women’s representation in top-tier Counter-Strike competitions.
While StarCraft II tournaments have been featured at past IEM events, ESL FACEIT Group has not yet confirmed if the RTS title will be included in the 2025 edition. As the event approaches, fans and players alike eagerly anticipate the high-level Counter-Strike action and potential groundbreaking moments that IEM Katowice 2025 promises to deliver.
