IEM Cologne 2023 Invited Teams Announced

With the participant break now properly underway, all of CS:GO’s greatest gamers have the chance to refresh and rejuvenate for the remainder of 2023. The wheels are already turning on competitions for later this yr, with IEM Cologne 2023 revealing its invited groups. We’re looking at these rosters, to see if there are any fascinating prospects.

Group Stage Groups

With a complete Group Stage of 16 groups, 8 have already secured their place in the primary occasion. These IEM Cologne invitations are available one among two methods – by way of competitors wins, or by way of a excessive ESL World Rating. This ensures that the most effective CS:GO groups of the second are all assured a spot on the Cathedral of Counter-Strike. Right here is each confirmed Group Stage group thus far on the upcoming Intel Extreme Masters occasion.

Credit score: ESL

There are actually a lot of the standard suspects that you just’d count on to see right here. The likes of G2, FaZe, Vitality, and Heroic have been the most effective CS:GO groups on the earth thus far in 2023, so it’s straightforward to think about them participating at IEM Cologne 2023. Contemplating their poor kind, the Cloud9 CS:GO group’s presence may be a shock to some, however in the end they’ve finished sufficient for an IEM Cologne invite.

ENCE have been a shock winner of IEM Dallas 2023, however they’ve earned their spot, simply the identical as everybody else. You’d need to say the one huge shock is GamerLegion, who qualify as a consequence of their ESL World Rating. Given their Grand Closing run within the BLAST.television Paris Main 2023, GamerLegion deserve an opportunity to show it wasn’t a fluke.

It will likely be fascinating to see how the inevitable summer season break roster adjustments have an effect on the IEM Cologne 2023 Group Stage groups. There are rumors that the NAVI CS:GO roster might be making some changes, with npl probably on the chopping block. In the meantime, GamerLegion might lose siuhy, the IGL credited as a big cause the group made it to that Main closing. It might kill their IEM Cologne 2023 probabilities earlier than the event begins. Even G2 might be reducing HooXi, so it might be a transitional event for them, too.

Play-In Groups

The remainder of the groups at IEM Cologne 2023 with start with a Play-In to find out who makes it to the Group Stage. These groups could be seen beneath:

Credit score: ESL

You’ll be able to see the influences of the Paris Main on these IEM Cologne invitations. Apeks, Monte, and Into The Breach will all be there, after their shock Playoff runs in Paris. Like GamerLegion, these groups all have a degree to show to cement their standing in Tier 1 CS:GO. It could be too straightforward for them to get one good event underneath their belt and instantly fall off, however IEM Cologne 2023 is their likelihood to cease that in its tracks. Bizarrely, BIG Academy made it to IEM Cologne 2023, however not the primary group. It appears doubtless that the primary roster will quickly be demoted to make sure they’ve the most effective likelihood of victory right here.

There’s potential for some sensible matchups right here, with iconic rivalries like Astralis vs Liquid and Fnatic vs NIP on the desk. The Play-In matches are but to be determined, and hopefully it delivers on its promise. Regulate esports.internet because the event approaches for extra IEM Cologne 2023 information.

Recap

So, to recap:

Credit score: ESL