After an intense Closed Qualifier, the final roster of teams competing at IEM Sydney 2023 has been confirmed. It has been four years since a CS:GO Intel Extreme Masters event was held in Australia, and its return is long overdue.
With ESL Pro League Season 18 still to come first, IEM Sydney 2023 kicks off on 16th October, concluding with the Grand Final on 22nd October.
The Invited Teams
Credit: IEM on Twitter
Of the sixteen teams on their way Down Under, each have had their own route to the CS:GO tournament. All of Vitality, ENCE, FaZe, G2, NAVI, and MOUZ, arrive in Sydney as ESL Partner Teams. Looking at the line-ups, these are probably the overall favorites to emerge victorious, so it makes sense.
Then, there’s Cloud9, GamerLegion, Monte, and Fnatic, who all received their IEM Sydney 2023 invites by way of their ESL World Ranking. Out of these teams, watch out for Cloud9. Their all-star roster hasn’t fully clicked yet, but if it comes together in Australia we’re in for a treat. Grayhound are the lucky recipients of the Local Invite. As the biggest Australian team in the world, there was never really any other contender here.
The Qualified Teams
Credit: IEM
The Closed Qualifiers took place from 22nd August to 25th August, running by region. Apeks and BetBoom Team made it through the gauntlet of the European Qualifier. Of the two, keep your eyes on BetBoom Team at IEM Sydney 2023. Spearheaded by ex-Cloud9 player nafany, the IGL has a point to prove his roster of young stars. KaiR0N-, s1ren, and danistzz are all out to make a name for themselves, while zorte provides a little more experience for cool heads. They could be a real surprise package here.
The NA Qualifier concluded with Complexity winning out. It hasn’t really worked out for the NA roster recently, despite the signing of EliGE. However, they looked impressive during this qualifier, and they’ll be hoping it isn’t just a brief moment of greatness.
Over at the Asia Qualifier, Chinese roster Lynn Vision emerged victorious, dispatching favorites The MongolZ in the process. They even managed to beat TYLOO, so they’ve more than earned their spot at IEM Sydney 2023. It remains to be seen if they can make the step up against greater opposition, but the unknown of it all is certainly an exciting prospect.
Finally, there was the Oceanic Qualifier, a big deal for players looking to compete on home soil. It was VERTEX who won the honor, their most impressive victory being against Rooster along the way. They may not go on to win the whole thing, but the prospect of potentially facing off against Grayhound in Sydney is something Vertex are surely looking forward to.
After such a long time away, it’s good to see your return to CS:GO, Sydney. We’ve missed you.
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