IEM Fall returns to Sydney after a four year hiatus

Jun 20, 2023

Reading time: 2 min

Australia will once again host the high-octane chain of IEM events. The IEM Fall tournament is tied to the inaugural SXSW 2023 festival slated for October.

In 2019, when IEM took place in Sydney, nobody knew it would be the last event in Australia for a long time. Despite a thrill-filled arena, IEM didn’t happen on Australian soil for full four years. Now, it’s returning, and players can barely contain their excitement.

IEM Sydney will take place in October in connection with the SXSW 2023, an annual conglomerate of film, interactive media, and music festivals. The event’s playoffs will happen in the Aware Super Theatre at ICC Sydney.

🇦🇺 It's time for THE BIG REUNION Down Under 🇦🇺

After over 1,500+ days we are heading BACK to Australia! 🦘#IEM Sydney | October 20 – 22, 2023 pic.twitter.com/Dzrjf7NwRi
— ESL Counter-Strike (@ESLCS) June 20, 2023

IEM Sydney returns to Australia

2023’s Fall Masters have been locked in for Down Under after a hiatus of four years. After visiting Rio, Dallas, IEM will be holding its next event in Cologne, slated for July. Sydney would be the fourth stop, reviving Counter-Strike history on Australian soil.

The Australian crowd became famous in the Counter-Strike: Global Offensive community after the first fall Masters that took place in Sydney in 2017. Since then, the esports crowd in CSGO has taken notes from the Australian on how to breathe life into an event. Despite a successful chain of events in 2017, 2018, and 2019, IEM didn’t return for 2020. In 2021, IEM was slated for Melbourne but was scratched yet again due to travel restrictions.

Now that it’s back, Counter-Strike fans are elated, especially since IEM Sydney might be played on the new CS2.

All we know about IEM Sydney so far

The IEM fall tournament will run between October 16-22, featuring 16 teams total, locking horns for a $250,000 prize pool. The winners will also book a slot in the Intel Grand Slam competition.

Here’s how the 16 competing teams will be selected.

Six partner teams
Local hero invite
Four invites based on the ESL World Ranking
Five teams through regional online qualifiers

The event’s open qualifiers start in August across North America, Europe, Asia, and Oceania. Tickets can be claimed from June 22, but fans can also watch the event live on ESL Counter-Strike Twitch and YouTube channels.