The very first major tournament of the year, IEM Katowice, is set to start on February 1 and last for two weeks before coming to a conclusion with a best-of-five finals series on February 12.

The competition will include 24 teams and begin with the Play-In, which will use a double-elimination format and offer eight slots in the next group round. The other eight teams that were invited to the grand final will join the qualified squads.

A first-place finish in the double-elimination group phase earns the team a spot in the semifinals, while teams that finish second and third will advance to the quarterfinals. Single-elimination matchups will be played in the knockout stage, moving up to best-of-three contests for the championship final (BO5). The winners will get a first-place payout for $400,000 and an improvement to their individual Intel Grand Slam campaigns.

Who Are The Contenders?

Despite their recent struggles in the BLAST Premier Spring Groups, Heroic enters the Polish show as one of the favorites. After winning the BLAST Premier Fall Final in November, the Danish fivesome, who currently hold the top spot in the world rankings, will be anxious to add additional hardware to their trophy cabinet. This was their first Big Event victory.

In Poland, FaZe will also be aiming for a strong showcase of power. The international team won IEM Katowice 2022 to start their Intel Grand Slam run, and they are now just one conquest away from bringing home the coveted gold bars and the extra $1,000,000 in prize money at the 24-team competition.

A lot of players will compete in their first matches against their new teams at IEM Katowice. In the team’s initial Play-In game against IHC, Timur #buster Tulepov will take on a Cloud9 jersey for the first time ever.

Likewise, Kristian #k0nfig Wienecke, who joined the team on January 26 after being named as Hampus #hampus Poser’s replacement due to a brief leave of absence, will play for the Ninjas in Pyjamas for the first time.

The Tournament Details

The 24-team competition will last for a fortnight, beginning on February 1 with the play-in and ending on February 12 with a best-of-five championship match. The $1,000,000 spectacle’s whole program has not yet been disclosed.

The action at the prestigious tournament will be brought to life by a total of 21 talent members. Tres #stunna Saranthus is one of the four who will oversee the desk, while Oliver #OJ Borg D’Anastasi will assume the role of stage host.

Conner #Scrawny Girvan, Mohan #Launders Govindasamy, and James #BARDOLPH Bardolph, who made his casting comeback at the tail end of 2022 after a year away, are among the eight commentators for the Polish competition.