When is IEM Katowice CSGO? Groups, schedule, format

One of the biggest events in the Counter-Strike: Global Offensive calendar, IEM Katowice, is just around the corner and some key details have already been revealed.

When it comes to CSGO events, few are as popular as the annual tournament in Katowice, where the best in the world battle it out for some of the biggest prize pools.

This year, the event hosts the first-ever ESL Pro Tour Masters Championship LAN event, which is a part of ESL’s new competitive circuit. Teams will not only secure a cash prize, but also vital points to ensure qualification to ESL One Cologne – another Masters Championship.

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When is IEM Katowice CSGO?

IEM Katowice kicks off on February 24 and will bring almost a whole week of exciting CSGO action as it culminates in a grand final at the Spodek Arena on March 1.

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The first four days of the event will be dedicated to the group stage, while the playoffs will be played in the remaining three, giving both fans and players enough time to rest between matches.

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IEM Katowice schedule and format

IEM Katowice will be played in a standard format for Counter-Strike events, with double elimination groups leading into a single-elimination playoff bracket.

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There will be two groups of eight teams that are seeded using the all-new ESL CS:GO World Ranking with all matches being played in a best-of-three format. The winners of each group will advance straight to the semi-finals, while second and third will advance to the quarter-finals.

The playoffs will also consist of best-of-three matches up until the grand final, which will be a lengthy best of five.

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Monday Feb 24

Tuesday Feb 25

Wednesday Feb 26

Thursday Feb 27

Friday Feb 28

Saturday Feb 29

Sunday March 1

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IEM Katowice groups

IEM Katowice sees two extremely competitive groups that are almost impossible to predict. Group A sees top teams like Astralis, Team Vitality, and an in-form FaZe Clan.

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Meanwhile, group B consists of North American stars Team Liquid and Evil Geniuses, as well as the impressive Mousesports squad.

Now that you know which teams are competing and when to watch, all you need to do is wait for what is undoubtedly set to be one of the best CSGO events of 2020 so far.

Before you know it, the action will kick off at the Spodek!