The list of 24 CS:GO teams competing at IEM Katowice 2023 has been finalized over the weekend

36 of the best StarCraft® II players around the globe ready to battle for the World Championship title 

The eight contenders for the next standalone ESL Impact event confirmed after qualifiers conclude

Cologne/New York/Katowice – Intel® Extreme Masters (IEM) Katowice 2023 marks the beginning of another year of spectacular esports competitions. In early February, two tournaments in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) and the StarCraft® II World Championship are taking the stage at the famous Hall of Heroes – a place where legends are born and history is forged for all generations of esports players and fans worldwide. 

Last weekend all remaining invitations were sent out to those who will compete at the Spodek Arena and the International Congress Center (MCK) in Katowice, Poland, and now fans can start looking forward to meeting the very best players from across the globe. With a combined prize pool of more than $1,500,000 and multiple trophies to be claimed, 2023 kicks off with a bang. 

This is the 11th time Intel® Extreme Masters returns to the Polish city that forever marked its place on the world’s esports map. As one of the longest running series of esports events taking place in the same venue, IEM Katowice holds a special place for both the players and the thousands of fans visiting each year. 

Moreover, the upcoming edition of IEM Katowice returns to its full glory, along with the beloved IEM Expo, for the first time since the beginning of the global pandemic. As one of the biggest gaming events in the region, the IEM Expo offers visitors the opportunity to experience everything that the world of gaming and esports has to offer – including a standalone competition of the all-women CS:GO circuit, ESL Impact. 

Intel® Extreme Masters Counter-Strike: Global Offensive Championship

At stake are the renowned ESL Pro Tour title, a major share of the $1,000,000 total prize pool, and a win in the race to the Intel® Grand Slam. Fans can look forward to nine days of peak level competitive gameplay:

• Play-in Stage (February 1-3): 16 teams of which the top eight proceed to the next phase;
• Group Stage (February 4-7): These eight teams are joined by eight directly qualified teams, with the top six proceeding to the next phase;
• Playoff Stage (February 10-12): Facing off in front of their fans at the Spodek Arena and cheered on by the legendary atmosphere, the top six teams of the tournament battle it out to ultimately lift the coveted trophy. 

The teams qualified for the IEM CS:GO Championship:

To stay up to date about the IEM Katowice 2023 CS:GO Championship, go to the official website, and follow ESL CS on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.

Intel® Extreme Masters StarCraft® II World Championship

Terrans, Zerg, and Protoss are all awaiting their commanders’ orders, as 36 of the world’s best StarCraft® II players are heading to the MCK in the beginning of February, to fight for the $500,000 total prize pool and the title of World Champion:

• Round of 36: 16 players of which four proceed to the next stage;
• Round of 24: These four players are joined by 20 directly qualified contenders and compete in four groups of six in a Round Robin format;
• Round of 12: The second and third place holders of each Round of 24 group compete for one of four available spots in the final phase;
• Round of 8: The four best players of the Round of 24 and the top four of the Round of 12 battle it out to ultimately be crowned World Champion.

Fans worldwide can look forward to experiencing the action from the start during the broadcast commencing February 8. Furthermore, fans have the opportunity to cheer on their favorite players live, as they enter the stage at the IEM Expo during the final three days of the competition on February 10-12. 

The full list of players invited for the IEM StarCraft® II World Championship – including IEM Katowice 2022 World Champion Joona “Serral” Sotala, DreamHack Masters Valencia 2022 Champion Park “Dark” Ryung-woo, and DreamHack Masters Atlanta 2022 Champion Kim “herO” Joon-ho – can be found HERE. Stay tuned as all participating players will be confirmed in due course.

Head to the official website, and follow ESL SC2 on Twitter and Facebook, for additional details about the IEM Katowice 2023 StarCraft® II World Championship.

ESL Impact standalone event

Starting its second year, the all-women CS:GO circuit, ESL Impact, makes its debut in Poland as eight of the best women CS:GO teams from across the globe face each other in a standalone event live at the IEM Expo, on February 10-12. Cheered on by their fans, the participating teams will ensure a heated start to the 2023 program of the #GGFORALL initiative, tackling discrimination and fostering diversity and inclusion in esports.  

The teams qualified for the ESL Impact competition:

For more information about the ESL Impact event in Katowice, head to the official website, and follow ESL Impact on Twitter.

The return of the IEM Expo

After a three-year absence, the IEM Expo returns to Katowice. A celebration of passion, creativity, and love for esports and gaming will once again fill the halls of the MCK. The event’s partners are about to provide all attendees with numerous attractions, including competitions and giveaways, hands-on sessions with the newest in gaming, the opportunity to test the latest hardware, meet-and-greet moments with idols from the gaming world, and much more. Stay tuned as additional details and the full program will be revealed soon.

For more general information, follow ESL FACEIT Group and ESL on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

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About ESL

ESL creates a world where everybody can be somebody. For more than two decades, we have been shaping the industry and leading esports and gaming innovation globally across the most popular video games, creating a comprehensive ecosystem with opportunities for players to go from zero to hero and for fans to witness the best stories esports has to offer. The ESL portfolio consists of high-profile products such as the ESL Pro Tour, Intel® Extreme Masters, the Snapdragon Pro Series, and many more, ranging from grassroots to global elite competitions. ESL is part of ESL FACEIT Group, the leading competitive games and esports company.

About Intel® Extreme Masters 

Intel® Extreme Masters is the longest-running global professional esports tournament circuit in the world. Started in 2006 by Intel and ESL, the competition has now traveled to over 30 cities around the globe and conducted tournaments for 11 different competitive gaming titles. Esports fans from more than 180 countries regularly make IEM events record-breakers in terms of stadium attendance and viewership, with the tournament’s inaugural event in Australia in May 2017 marking the fifth continent for the global competitive circuit. Throughout more than 75 IEM events, over US $11 million in prize money has been awarded to some of the world’s top esports talent (www.intelextrememasters.com).