Intel® Extreme Masters Katowice will host its World Championships in Poland this year (March 4-6) with the following invited teams: TSM, SK Telekom T1, Fnatic and Royal Never Give Up, who join Origen, CLG, Ever and QG Reapers, who earned their spots through past IEM performances in San Jose and Cologne. Awarding over US$100,000 in prize money, the competition will span across three days: the opening two in the Expo Hall, with finals to be played out in the legendary Spodek Arena.

A closer look at the invited teams:

• TSM: champions of the 2015 Intel Extreme Masters World Championships, the team line-up is all-star and includes numerous fan-favourites: Doublelift, Bjergsen, Yellowstar, Svenskeren and Hauntzer.
• SK Telekom T1: winners of the 2015 League of Legends World Championship, the Korean powerhouse is a force to be reckoned with. Faker, Bengi and SKT team coach (KkOma) are the only three League of Legends professionals to win more than one Worlds title, and along with teammates Duke, Bang and Wolf comprise one of the most impressive line-ups in rotation.
• Fnatic: winners of the 2015 EU LCS Summer and Spring Playoffs, Fnatic went into the League of Legends World Championships as the strongest European hopeful. Knocked out in the semifinals, the team was robbed of the opportunity to challenge eventual winners, SKT1 – something they may now have a second shot at.
• Royal Never Give Up: the team have claimed recent success in China, winning the NESO. Their line-up includes inSec, a player once considered to be the best jungler in the world, and one who with his then-team KT Roster Bullets, won the Intel Extreme Masters World Championship in 2014.

The League of Legends competition in Katowice will kick-off with a group stage consisting of two groups of four. Matches will be best-of-ones in a double elimination bracket. The four best teams from the group stage will advance to the playoffs, which consist of best-of-three semifinals and a best-of-five grand final.

Tickets for the Intel Extreme Masters World Championship – Katowice 2016 are on sale now, with the next batch of tickets going live February 11. More information about the tournament can be found on ESLgaming.com and on the official Intel Extreme Masters website.