IEM Sydney 2023 Event Guide: Dates, Team List, And Schedule

The release of CS2 has caused all of us Counter-Strike fans to look back at the history of its predecessor, Global Offensive, with much more nostalgia than before. For CS:GO fans, the likes of Cologne and Katowice have both had their swan song farewell tours and now it is the turn for another much-beloved destination: Sydney. One of the all-time favourite venues, renowned for its outlandish stage events and some of the loudest crowds on the calendar, join us today as we look ahead to the upcoming tournament with our full IEM Sydney 2023 event guide! 

When is IEM Sydney 2023?

Following the conclusion of regional qualifiers, Intel Extreme Masters Sydney 2023 kickstarts with 16 teams competing in a group-to-playoff format between 16th and 22nd October 2023. 

IEM Sydney 2023 format

As mentioned above, regional qualifiers in Europe, Asia, North America and Oceania as well as ESL partner status and ESL ranking points were used to determine which 16 teams will be competing at IEM Sydney this year. These 16 teams are split into two groups: A and B. 

The groups are seeded based on the teams’ rankings. Opening matches are best-of-ones (bo1s), with all other matches being best-of-three maps (bo3s). A double-elimination format will be in use for the group stage, with the top three performing sides from each group moving to the playoffs. 

The playoffs will be single-elimination bo3s, seeded based on a team’s group-stage performance. Group winners automatically place in the semi-finals, whereas group-stage runners-up and lower bracket winners will face off against one another. 

A more visual representation of the tournament tree can be found here. 

IEM Sydney will boast a prize purse of $250,000, with the winners bagging themselves $100,000 and a spot at IEM Katowice 2024, one of the most prestigious events on the calendar. 

Where is the event? 

As the name would give away, IEM Sydney will be taking place in Australia’s biggest city. The playoffs mark where the crowds will be in-house, with the 9,000 seater capacity Aware Super Theatre playing host. 

What maps will be played at the tournament? 

As things stand, it’s still unknown what maps will be played at IEM Sydney, largely because we’re still not 100% certain what game the players will be on. However, CSGO’s last pool may still be the rotation. Those maps are: 

• Ancient
• Anubis
• Inferno
• Mirage
• Nuke
• Overpass
• Vertigo

IEM Sydney 2023 teams 

Here are all the teams that are slated to be attending IEM Sydney this year: 

• ENCE 
• FaZe Clan
• G2 Esports
• MOUZ
• Natus Vincere
• Team Vitality
• Cloud9
• GamerLegion
• Monte
• Fnatic
• Grayhound Gaming
• Apeks
• BetBoom Team
• Complexity Gaming
• Lynn Vision Gaming
• VERTEX Esports Clubs

Who is going to win IEM Sydney? 

Onto the juicy bit – who is going to win IEM Sydney 2023? For those interested in Esports betting in Canada, Twistzz and FaZe Clan are sure to be amongst the favorites. Whilst 2023 hasn’t been nearly as successful for the international lineup as 2022, the org has held back on any dramatic roster overhauls, and we’re more than backing them to save some of their best plays for what is surely going to be CS:GO’s last major chapter. 

Elsewhere, G2’s win at IEM Cologne was mightily impressive and arguably the first time the EU org was able to demonstrate their impressive-looking lineup living up to potential. They beat serial overachievers ENCE in the grand final there, though we would be surprised to see Snappi and come back at the top in Sydney. 

Finally, Fnatic reached the grand final of the last IEM Sydney back in 2019, and there’s no reason why the Black and Orange can’t be a dark horse to root for. Fnatic has looked much more settled since the arrival of Aussie IGL Dexter, and a home crowd might be the motivation he needs to showcase some of his best strats.