IEM Katowice Stage 1 opening matchups set

IEM Katowice will begin on January 29.

NertZ's Liquid has been matched up against HEROIC

ESL has revealed the opening matchups for the IEM Katowice Stage 1 (formerly the Play-in), where 16 teams will fight for eight Stage 2 spots (formerly the group stage) in best-of-three games.

The most high-octane matchup will be the battle between Liquid and HEROIC, not least because of Guy "⁠NertZ⁠" Iluz's match against his former organization.

Complexity and Eternal Fire will also battle on the same side of the bracket, as will 3DMAX, who will face FlyQuest. Astralis, buoyed by Nicolai "⁠device⁠" Reedtz's return, will face off against MIBR.

paiN have also been given a tough opponent in Virtus.pro, while Fredrik "⁠REZ⁠" Sterner's GamerLegion will face off against SAW in the first round.

The final pair of matches will see Wildcard meet BIG and an exciting matchup between Imperial Valkyries and FURIA.

Read more

IEM Katowice 2025 invites announced

The eight directly invited teams to Stage 2 have also been split, giving us several options for ex-teammates to meet early on. G2 and Falcons sit on one side of the bracket, while Vitality and FaZe occupy the other in Group A.

Spirit and Natus Vincere are on the same side in Group B, as are MOUZ and The MongolZ.

The Stage 1 opening round matchups, now played in a best-of-three format, are as follows (match times are currently unconfirmed):

Date	Matches
IEM Katowice 2025 Play-in
29/01/2025	3DMAX 10:30 FlyQuest	Match
29/01/2025	paiN 10:30 Virtus.pro	Match
29/01/2025	Astralis 13:00 MIBR	Match
29/01/2025	SAW 13:00 GamerLegion	Match
29/01/2025	Wildcard 15:35 BIG	Match
29/01/2025	Imperial Valkyries 16:15 FURIA	Match
29/01/2025	Complexity 18:00 Eternal Fire	Match
29/01/2025	Liquid 18:55 HEROIC	Match