IEM Katowice begins Friday, highlighted by six CS:GO teams competing for a $1 million grand prize at the Spodek Arena in Poland.
The six teams qualified from an initial group of 24 that competed over the past week. The final weekend will not include FaZe Clan, with the defending champions eliminated by Team Liquid in the final group stage.
Team Liquid will now be joined by Outsiders, Team Vitality and Natus Vincere, which claimed the final quarterfinal spot with a 2-1 win over G2 Esports.
Despite the loss, G2 earned a spot directly to the semifinals along with Heroic.
The winner of Na’Vi against Outsiders on Friday will advance to play Heroic in Saturday’s first semifinal, while G2 awaits the winner of Liquid vs. Vitality.
The event also includes other esports competitions.
Among them, 36 StarCraft II players began their battle on Wednesday for the World Championship and a $500,000 prize. Beginning Friday, the competition moves to a dedicated state at the IEM Expo.
Meanwhile, the inaugural ESL R1 will feature 48 drivers from 12 teams competing in eight rounds to qualify for the ESL R1 Major with a $500,000 total prize pool.
The all-women CS:GO circuit ESL Impact will make its debut in Poland at IEM Katowice as well. Eight of the top women CS:GO team from around the world will compete in a standalone competition for a prize pool of $100,000.
–Field Level Media
