IEM Katowice 2023IEM Katowice viewer's guide
HLTV.org has prepared a comprehensive viewer's guide ahead of the first Big Event of 2023.
IEM Katowice, the first Big Event of the year, is scheduled to begin on Wednesday, February 1, and will play out over the span of two weeks before wrapping up with a best-of-five grand final on February 12.
The tournament will host 24 teams and kick off with the Play-In, which will run a double-elimination bracket and have eight spots for the ensuing group stage up for grabs. Those eight will join another eight teams who received invites to the main event (see below).
A first-place in the double-elimination group stage grants the team a semi-finals berth, whilst second and third-placed teams will earn a spot in the quarter-finals. The knockout stage will be a single-elimination affair, working its way up with best-of-three matches until the title decider (BO5). The victors will collect the $400,000 first-place prize as well as add a notch to their respective Intel Grand Slam campaigns.
HEROIC head into the Polish spectacle as one of the favourites, even in spite of their most recent struggle in the BLAST Premier Spring Groups. The Danish quintet currently sit atop the world ranking and will be eager to add more silverware to their trophy cabinet after being crowned champions of the BLAST Premier Fall Final — their first-ever Big Event win — back in November.
FaZe will also be gunning for a solid performance in Poland. The international ensemble reigned supreme at IEM Katowice 2022 to get their Intel Grand Slam run going, and now sit one victory at the 24-team event away from taking home the coveted gold bars and the additional $1,000,000 in prize money.
IEM Katowice will also mark a number of players' debut matches with their new homes. Timur "buster" Tulepov is set to make his first-ever appearance donning a Cloud9 jersey in the team's opening Play-In matchup versus IHC. Similarly, Kristian "k0nfig" Wienecke will play under the Ninjas in Pyjamas banner for the first time since his January 26 signing when he was announced as a replacement for Hampus "hampus" Poser, who is taking a temporary leave of absence.
Participating teams
Play-In
Group Stage
Schedule
The 24-team event will take place over a fortnight, kicking off with the Play-In on February 1 and concluding with a best-of-five grand final on February 12. The full schedule for the $1,000,000 spectacle is as follows:
Play-In
| Date | Matches | |
|---|---|---|
| IEM Katowice 2023 Play-in | ||
| 01/02/2023 |
11:00
|
Match |
| 01/02/2023 |
11:00
|
Match |
| 01/02/2023 |
12:15
|
Match |
| 01/02/2023 |
12:25
|
Match |
| 01/02/2023 |
13:30
|
Match |
| 01/02/2023 |
13:55
|
Match |
| 01/02/2023 |
14:45
|
Match |
| 01/02/2023 |
15:35
|
Match |
| 01/02/2023 |
16:00
|
Match |
| 01/02/2023 |
17:10
|
Match |
| 01/02/2023 |
19:30
|
Match |
| 01/02/2023 |
21:10
|
Match |
| 02/02/2023 |
16:00
|
Match |
| 02/02/2023 |
16:00
|
Match |
| 02/02/2023 |
19:30
|
Match |
| 02/02/2023 |
19:50
|
Match |
| 03/02/2023 |
16:00
|
Match |
| 03/02/2023 |
16:00
|
Match |
| 03/02/2023 |
19:30
|
Match |
| 03/02/2023 |
20:10
|
Match |
Group Stage
Group A
| Date | Matches | |
|---|---|---|
| IEM Katowice 2023 | ||
| 04/02/2023 |
12:30
|
Match |
| 04/02/2023 |
12:30
|
Match |
| 04/02/2023 |
16:00
|
Match |
| 04/02/2023 |
19:30
|
Match |
| 05/02/2023 |
16:20
|
Match |
| 05/02/2023 |
16:45
|
Match |
| 05/02/2023 |
19:30
|
Match |
| 05/02/2023 |
20:10
|
Match |
| 06/02/2023 |
20:00
|
Match |
| 06/02/2023 |
20:30
|
Match |
| 07/02/2023 |
16:20
|
Match |
| 07/02/2023 |
20:45
|
Match |
Group B
| Date | Matches | |
|---|---|---|
| IEM Katowice 2023 | ||
| 04/02/2023 |
16:00
|
Match |
| 04/02/2023 |
19:30
|
Match |
| 05/02/2023 |
12:30
|
Match |
| 05/02/2023 |
12:30
|
Match |
| 06/02/2023 |
12:30
|
Match |
| 06/02/2023 |
12:30
|
Match |
| 06/02/2023 |
16:00
|
Match |
| 06/02/2023 |
16:35
|
Match |
| 07/02/2023 |
12:30
|
Match |
| 07/02/2023 |
12:30
|
Match |
| 07/02/2023 |
16:00
|
Match |
| 07/02/2023 |
19:30
|
Match |
Playoffs
| Date | Matches | |
|---|---|---|
| IEM Katowice 2023 | ||
| 10/02/2023 |
15:30
|
Match |
| 10/02/2023 |
19:20
|
Match |
| 11/02/2023 |
15:35
|
Match |
| 11/02/2023 |
19:00
|
Match |
| 12/02/2023 |
16:00
|
Match |
Talent lineup
A total of 21 talent members will bring the action to life at the esteemed tournament. Oliver "OJ Borg" D'Anastasi will take the reins as stage host, whilst Tres "stunna" Saranthus is one of the four who will head up the desk. The Polish competition will boast eight commentators, including Conner "Scrawny" Girvan, Mohan "launders" Govindasamy, and a notable feature in James "BARDOLPH" Bardolph, who made his return to casting toward the end of 2022 after a yearlong absence.
The full talent lineup for IEM Katowice is:
Stage host
Desk hosts
Tres "stunna" Saranthus
Freya "Freya" Spiers
Eefje "sjokz" Depoortere
Sidelines
Anastasija "Heccu" Tolmačeva
Commentators
Chad "SPUNJ" Burchill
Conner "Scrawny" Girvan
Analysts
Janko "YNk" Paunović
Mathieu "Maniac" Quiquerez
Sudhen "Bleh" Wahengbam
Luis "peacemaker" Tadeu
Prize distribution
IEM Katowice 2023 will boast a $1,000,000 prize pool, the majority of which will be spread out amongst the 16 teams that secure an appearance in the main portion of the event. The cash breakdown is as follows:
1. $400,000 + Intel Grand Slam notch
2. $180,000
3-4. $80,000
3-4. $80,000
5-6. $40,000
5-6. $40,000
7-8. $24,000
7-8. $24,000
9-12. $16,000
9-12. $16,000
9-12. $16,000
9-12. $16,000
13-16. $10,000
13-16. $10,000
13-16. $10,000
13-16. $10,000
17-20. $4,500
17-20. $4,500
17-20. $4,500
17-20. $4,500
21-24. $2,500
21-24. $2,500
21-24. $2,500
21-24. $2,500
On-site coverage
As always, HLTV.org will be in attendance at IEM Katowice, so stay tuned as we'll bring you full coverage of the Polish spectacle, including pictures, interviews, social media updates, as well as an HLTV Confirmed episode live from the event on Wednesday, February 8.
Johnny 'JT' Theodosiou
Håkon 'hallzerk' Fjærli
Dan 'apEX' Madesclaire
Lotan 'Spinx' Giladi
Timur 'buster' Tulepov
Robin 'ropz' Kool
Robert 'RobbaN' Dahlström
Dion 'FASHR' Derksen
Aleksandar 'kassad' Trifunović
Aleksi 'Aleksib' Virolainen
Adrian 'XELLOW' Guță Alex 'Mauisnake' Ellenberg
James 'BARDOLPH' Bardolph
Mohan 'launders' Govindasamy
Pavle 'Maden' Bošković
Álvaro 'SunPayus' García
Adam 'NEOFRAG' Zouhar
David 'frozen' Čerňanský
Ádám 'torzsi' Torzsás
Mathieu 'Maniac' Quiquerez
Nikola 'NiKo' Kovač
Simon 'Sico' Williams
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