IEM Sydney 2023 is here, marking the first time Counter-Strike has gone down under since 2019. 16 teams are making the journey to take part in the first-ever LAN CS2 tournament. We’ve said farewell to CS:GO now, but the chance to write a new chapter is here.
With notable teams like Heroic and Astralis missing, not everyone is attending this ESL Sydney event. However, there are more than enough great teams to ensure the return to Australia goes off with a bang! As the tournament progresses, we’re covering all the action, with previews and reviews keeping you in the loop on the IEM Sydney 2023 action.
[esports-newsletter-small]Every round of IEM Sydney 2023 will be livestreamed on ESL’s official Twitch channel. With the move to Counter-Strike 2 for this tournament, it’s an opportunity to get an early glimpse of how the best teams in the world are developing the meta for the brand-new game!
Credit: ESL
Of the 16 teams at this ESL Sydney event, six reached the tournament via ESL Partner Team positions (ENCE, FaZe, G2, MOUZ, NAVI, and Vitality). Four arrive courtesy of their ESL World ranking (Cloud9, GamerLegion, Monte, and Fnatic). Meanwhile, Grayhound were recipients of the Local Hero Invite, while the remaining five (Apeks, BetBoom Team, Complexity, Lynn Vision, and VERTEX) reached IEM Sydney in a series of worldwide qualifiers.
These 16 teams are divided into Groups A and B, playing out double-elimination format (GSL) groups.
There are plenty of interesting storylines ongoing at IEM Sydney 2023. We’re highlighting a few of them so you know what to look out for when the Group Stage kicks off in a few days’ time!
Credit: ESL
In Group A of IEM Sydney 2023, the main team to watch out for are MOUZ. After winning ESL Pro League Season 18, the young team looks set to make waves in the competitive scene. Now, they have to prove they can carry the momentum into CS2. A strong performance at IEM Sydney would be the perfect first step.
Next, you should watch out for NAVI. They were on the losing side of the ESL Pro League Grand Final, and now are faced with a great opportunity to get immediately back on track. A NAVI team hungry for revenge is a scary prospect.
Group A
Credit: ESL
In Group B, it’s hard to look past ENCE really. They’ve proven themselves among the top CS:GO teams in the world lately, and we see no reason why they won’t qualify here.
Then, there’s Cloud9 to look out for. The CIS superteam has shown great signs after changing HObbit to IGL, as shown by their performance at the BLAST Premier Fall Showdown 2023. Victory in Sydney would be a massive statement of intent as we move into the CS2 era.
Group B
Last time out at IEM Sydney. Credit: Sarah Cooper | © ESL
The first day of IEM Sydney 2023 sees every team play their first matches of the tournament, with eight matches to be played. Controversially, these openers are all best-of-1, so with MR12 now in use, they shouldn’t take too long. Still, it should be more than enough gameplay to gather some first thoughts on Counter-Strike 2 in a competitive environment.
The Group Stage itself runs from October 16th to 18th, with IEM Sydney taking a break on the 19th. After this, the Playoffs kick off with the Quarter-Finals on the 20th, followed by the Semi-Finals on the 21st. It then concludes with the Grand Final, which will be played on October 22nd. Compared to other IEM events, Sydney is on the shorter side, but it ensures the action rarely stops on the server.
Credit: ESL
Credit: ESL
We’ve also got all the IEM Sydney 2023 match times, for ongoing matches throughout the rest of the tournament, updated daily!
