HLTV.org has prepared a comprehensive viewer's guide ahead of the first Big Event of 2023.

IEM Katowice, the first Big Event of the year, is scheduled to begin on Wednesday, February 1, and will play out over the span of two weeks before wrapping up with a best-of-five grand final on February 12.

The tournament will host 24 teams and kick off with the Play-In, which will run a double-elimination bracket and have eight spots for the ensuing group stage up for grabs. Those eight will join another eight teams who received invites to the main event (see below).

A first-place in the double-elimination group stage grants the team a semi-finals berth, whilst second and third-placed teams will earn a spot in the quarter-finals. The knockout stage will be a single-elimination affair, working its way up with best-of-three matches until the title decider (BO5). The victors will collect the $400,000 first-place prize as well as add a notch to their respective Intel Grand Slam campaigns.

Only six of the 24 teams attending the tournament will play in front of the famed Spodek Arena

HEROIC head into the Polish spectacle as one of the favourites, even in spite of their most recent struggle in the BLAST Premier Spring Groups. The Danish quintet currently sit atop the world ranking and will be eager to add more silverware to their trophy cabinet after being crowned champions of the BLAST Premier Fall Final — their first-ever Big Event win — back in November.

Read more Intel Grand Slam S4 race resumes in Katowice

FaZe will also be gunning for a solid performance in Poland. The international ensemble reigned supreme at IEM Katowice 2022 to get their Intel Grand Slam run going, and now sit one victory at the 24-team event away from taking home the coveted gold bars and the additional $1,000,000 in prize money.

IEM Katowice will also mark a number of players' debut matches with their new homes. Timur "⁠buster⁠" Tulepov is set to make his first-ever appearance donning a Cloud9 jersey in the team's opening Play-In matchup versus IHC. Similarly, Kristian "⁠k0nfig⁠" Wienecke will play under the Ninjas in Pyjamas banner for the first time since his January 26 signing when he was announced as a replacement for Hampus "⁠hampus⁠" Poser, who is taking a temporary leave of absence.

Read more k0nfig joins NIP as hampus goes on break

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Participating teams

Play-In

FURIA
fnatic
Spirit
BIG
Sprout
Complexity
IHC
MIBR Cloud9
OG
ENCE
Ninjas in Pyjamas
Evil Geniuses
paiN
Grayhound
Permitta

Group Stage

Group A
HEROIC
Outsiders
MOUZ
Vitality Group B
G2
FaZe
Liquid
Natus Vincere

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Schedule

The 24-team event will take place over a fortnight, kicking off with the Play-In on February 1 and concluding with a best-of-five grand final on February 12. The full schedule for the $1,000,000 spectacle is as follows:

Play-In

Date	Matches
IEM Katowice 2023 Play-in
01/02/2023	ENCE11:00 paiN	Match
01/02/2023	Cloud911:00 IHC	Match
01/02/2023	Spirit12:15 Grayhound	Match
01/02/2023	MIBR12:25 Ninjas in Pyjamas	Match
01/02/2023	fnatic13:30 Evil Geniuses	Match
01/02/2023	Sprout13:55 OG	Match
01/02/2023	FURIA14:45 Permitta	Match
01/02/2023	BIG15:35 Complexity	Match
01/02/2023	Spirit16:00 Ninjas in Pyjamas	Match
01/02/2023	Cloud917:10 ENCE	Match
01/02/2023	FURIA19:30 BIG	Match
01/02/2023	fnatic21:10 OG	Match
02/02/2023	Grayhound16:00 MIBR	Match
02/02/2023	IHC16:00 paiN	Match
02/02/2023	Permitta19:30 Complexity	Match
02/02/2023	Evil Geniuses19:50 Sprout	Match
03/02/2023	fnatic16:00 MIBR	Match
03/02/2023	FURIA16:00 IHC	Match
03/02/2023	ENCE19:30 Complexity	Match
03/02/2023	Spirit20:10 Sprout	Match

Group Stage

Group A

Date	Matches
IEM Katowice 2023
04/02/2023	Cloud912:30 Natus Vincere	Match
04/02/2023	G212:30 BIG	Match
04/02/2023	FaZe16:00 Spirit	Match
04/02/2023	Liquid19:30 IHC	Match
05/02/2023	BIG16:20 Spirit	Match
05/02/2023	G216:45 FaZe	Match
05/02/2023	Natus Vincere19:30 Liquid	Match
05/02/2023	Cloud920:10 IHC	Match
06/02/2023	FaZe20:00 IHC	Match
06/02/2023	Spirit20:30 Liquid	Match
07/02/2023	FaZe16:20 Liquid	Match
07/02/2023	G220:45 Natus Vincere	Match

Group B

Date	Matches
IEM Katowice 2023
04/02/2023	Vitality16:00 Ninjas in Pyjamas	Match
04/02/2023	OG19:30 MOUZ	Match
05/02/2023	HEROIC12:30 Complexity	Match
05/02/2023	Outsiders12:30 fnatic	Match
06/02/2023	Ninjas in Pyjamas12:30 Outsiders	Match
06/02/2023	HEROIC12:30 OG	Match
06/02/2023	Vitality16:00 fnatic	Match
06/02/2023	Complexity16:35 MOUZ	Match
07/02/2023	fnatic12:30 Complexity	Match
07/02/2023	OG12:30 Outsiders	Match
07/02/2023	HEROIC16:00 Vitality	Match
07/02/2023	Outsiders19:30 Complexity	Match

Playoffs

Date	Matches
IEM Katowice 2023
10/02/2023	Natus Vincere15:30 Outsiders	Match
10/02/2023	Liquid19:20 Vitality	Match
11/02/2023	HEROIC15:35 Natus Vincere	Match
11/02/2023	G219:00 Liquid	Match
12/02/2023	HEROIC16:00 G2	Match

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Talent lineup

A total of 21 talent members will bring the action to life at the esteemed tournament. Oliver "⁠OJ Borg⁠" D'Anastasi will take the reins as stage host, whilst Tres "⁠stunna⁠" Saranthus is one of the four who will head up the desk. The Polish competition will boast eight commentators, including Conner "⁠Scrawny⁠" Girvan, Mohan "⁠launders⁠" Govindasamy, and a notable feature in James "⁠BARDOLPH⁠" Bardolph, who made his return to casting toward the end of 2022 after a yearlong absence.

The full talent lineup for IEM Katowice is:

Stage host

Oliver "⁠OJ Borg⁠" D'Anastasi

Desk hosts

Tres "⁠stunna⁠" Saranthus
Freya "⁠Freya⁠" Spiers
Eefje "⁠sjokz⁠" Depoortere
Mike "⁠DarfMike⁠" Winnick

Sidelines

Anastasija "⁠Heccu⁠" Tolmačeva
James "⁠BanKs⁠" Banks
Eefje "⁠sjokz⁠" Depoortere

Commentators

Alex "⁠Machine⁠" Richardson
Chad "⁠SPUNJ⁠" Burchill
Hugo "⁠Hugo⁠" Byron
Harry "⁠JustHarry⁠" Russell
James "⁠BARDOLPH⁠" Bardolph
Alex "⁠hawka⁠" Hawkins
Conner "⁠Scrawny⁠" Girvan
Mohan "⁠launders⁠" Govindasamy

Analysts

Janko "⁠YNk⁠" Paunović
Mathieu "⁠Maniac⁠" Quiquerez
Alex "⁠Mauisnake⁠" Ellenberg
Aleksandar "⁠kassad⁠" Trifunović
Sudhen "⁠Bleh⁠" Wahengbam
Luis "⁠peacemaker⁠" Tadeu

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Prize distribution

IEM Katowice 2023 will boast a $1,000,000 prize pool, the majority of which will be spread out amongst the 16 teams that secure an appearance in the main portion of the event. The cash breakdown is as follows:

1. $400,000 + Intel Grand Slam notch
2. $180,000
3-4. $80,000
3-4. $80,000
5-6. $40,000
5-6. $40,000
7-8. $24,000
7-8. $24,000
9-12. $16,000
9-12. $16,000
9-12. $16,000
9-12. $16,000
13-16. $10,000
13-16. $10,000
13-16. $10,000
13-16. $10,000
17-20. $4,500
17-20. $4,500
17-20. $4,500
17-20. $4,500
21-24. $2,500
21-24. $2,500
21-24. $2,500
21-24. $2,500

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On-site coverage

As always, HLTV.org will be in attendance at IEM Katowice, so stay tuned as we'll bring you full coverage of the Polish spectacle, including pictures, interviews, social media updates, as well as an HLTV Confirmed episode live from the event on Wednesday, February 8.

ENCE #14 Marco 'Snappi' PfeifferValdemar 'valde' Bjørn VangsåPavle 'Maden' BoškovićPaweł 'dycha' DychaÁlvaro 'SunPayus' García Eetu 'sAw' Saha MOUZ #7 Christopher 'dexter' NongDavid 'frozen' ČerňanskýJon 'JDC' de CastroÁdám 'torzsi' TorzsásDorian 'xertioN' Berman Dennis 'sycrone' Nielsen BIG #15 Johannes 'tabseN' WodarzFlorian 'syrsoN' RischeNils 'k1to' GruhneJosef 'faveN' BaumannKarim 'Krimbo' Moussa Fatih 'gob b' Dayik Alex 'Machine' Richardson Age: 29 Team: No team Rating 1.0: 0.74 Maps played: 2 KPR: 0.44 DPR: 0.64 Evil Geniuses #21 Timothy 'autimatic' TaVincent 'Brehze' CayonteSanzhar 'neaLaN' IskhakovJerric 'wiz' JiangJadan 'HexT' Postma Daniel 'Vorborg' Vorborg Outsiders #5 Evgenii 'FL1T' LebedevAlexey 'Qikert' GolubevDzhami 'Jame' AliAleksandr 'KaiR0N-' AnashkinPetr 'fame' Bolyshev Dastan 'dastan' Akbayev HEROIC #1 Casper 'cadiaN' MøllerMartin 'stavn' LundRené 'TeSeS' MadsenRasmus 'sjuush' BeckJakob 'jabbi' Nygaard Richard 'Xizt' Landström Vitality #9 Dan 'apEX' MadesclairePeter 'dupreeh' RasmussenEmil 'Magisk' ReifMathieu 'ZywOo' HerbautLotan 'Spinx' Giladi Danny 'zonic' Sørensen Oliver 'OJ Borg' D'Anastasi Age: 43 Team: No team Rating 1.0: 0.00 Maps played: 0 KPR: 0.00 DPR: 0.00 Liquid #4 Nick 'nitr0' CannellaKeith 'NAF' MarkovicJonathan 'EliGE' JablonowskiJosh 'oSee' OhmMareks 'YEKINDAR' Gaļinskis Damian 'daps' Steele Chad 'SPUNJ' Burchill Age: 33 Team: No team Rating 1.0: 0.88 Maps played: 160 KPR: 0.62 DPR: 0.73 IHC #30 Bat-Enkh 'kabal' BatbayarTengis 'sk0R' BatjargalTuvshintugs 'Annihilation' NyamdorjGaridmagnai 'bLitz' ByambasurenSodbayar 'Techno' Munkhbold Erdenedalai 'maaRaa' Bayanbat Freya 'Freya' Spiers Age: 26 Team: No team Rating 1.0: 0.00 Maps played: 0 KPR: 0.00 DPR: 0.00 Natus Vincere #8 Oleksandr 's1mple' KostylievDenis 'electroNic' SharipovIlya 'Perfecto' ZalutskiyValeriy 'b1t' VakhovskiyAndrii 'npl' Kukharskyi Andrey 'B1ad3' Gorodenskiy Complexity #22 Johnny 'JT' TheodosiouRicky 'floppy' KemeryHåkon 'hallzerk' FjærliMichael 'Grim' WinceJustin 'FaNg' Coakley Tiaan 'T.c' Coertzen Aleksandar 'kassad' Trifunović Age: 36 Team: No team Rating 1.0: 0.75 Maps played: 99 KPR: 0.52 DPR: 0.73 Alex 'Mauisnake' Ellenberg Age: 29 Team: No team Rating 1.0: 0.90 Maps played: 100 KPR: 0.63 DPR: 0.72 Anastasija 'Heccu' Tolmačeva Age: 30 Team: No team Rating 1.0: 0.00 Maps played: 0 KPR: 0.00 DPR: 0.00 fnatic #11 Freddy 'KRIMZ' JohanssonDion 'FASHR' DerksenNico 'nicoodoz' TamjidiFredrik 'roeJ' JørgensenWilliam 'mezii' Merriman Jamie 'keita' Hall FURIA #6 Andrei 'arT' PiovezanYuri 'yuurih' SantosKaike 'KSCERATO' CeratoRafael 'saffee' CostaAndré 'drop' Abreu Nicholas 'guerri' Nogueira Hugo 'Hugo' Byron Age: 25 Team: No team Rating 1.0: 0.00 Maps played: 0 KPR: 0.00 DPR: 0.00 Harry 'JustHarry' Russell Age: 24 Team: No team Rating 1.0: 0.00 Maps played: 0 KPR: 0.00 DPR: 0.00 James 'BARDOLPH' Bardolph Age: 38 Team: No team Rating 1.0: 0.52 Maps played: 12 KPR: 0.32 DPR: 0.73 Hampus 'hampus' Poser Age: 24 Team: Ninjas in PyjamasB Rating 1.0: 1.01 Maps played: 1414 KPR: 0.70 DPR: 0.69 Timur 'buster' Tulepov Age: 23 Team: Cloud9 Rating 1.0: 1.04 Maps played: 1250 KPR: 0.68 DPR: 0.62 Mohan 'launders' Govindasamy Age: 32 Team: No team Rating 1.0: 0.76 Maps played: 3 KPR: 0.57 DPR: 0.76 Sprout #19 Adrian 'XELLOW' GuțăIsmail 'refrezh' AliRasmus 'Zyphon' NordfossVictor 'Staehr' StaehrLaurențiu 'lauNX' Țârlea Danny 'BERRY' Krüger James 'BanKs' Banks Age: 32 Team: No team Rating 1.0: 0.00 Maps played: 0 KPR: 0.00 DPR: 0.00 OG #12 Nemanja 'nexa' IsakovićAdam 'NEOFRAG' ZouharShahar 'flameZ' ShushanAbdul 'degster' GasanovMaciej 'F1KU' Miklas Casper 'ruggah' Due Ninjas in Pyjamas #16 Kristian 'k0nfig' WieneckeFredrik 'REZ' SternerAleksi 'Aleksib' VirolainenLudvig 'Brollan' BrolinDaniil 'headtr1ck' Valitov Daniel 'djL' Narancic Sudhen 'Bleh' Wahengbam Age: 35 Team: No team Rating 1.0: 0.00 Maps played: 0 KPR: 0.00 DPR: 0.00 FaZe #3 Finn 'karrigan' AndersenHåvard 'rain' NygaardRussel 'Twistzz' Van DulkenRobin 'ropz' KoolHelvijs 'broky' Saukants Robert 'RobbaN' Dahlström Alex 'hawka' Hawkins Age: 24 Team: No team Rating 1.0: 0.00 Maps played: 0 KPR: 0.00 DPR: 0.00 Eefje 'sjokz' Depoortere Age: 35 Team: No team Rating 1.0: 0.00 Maps played: 0 KPR: 0.00 DPR: 0.00 Janko 'YNk' Paunović Age: 30 Team: No team Rating 1.0: 0.96 Maps played: 118 KPR: 0.67 DPR: 0.70 paiN #29 Vinicios 'PKL' CoelhoWesley 'hardzao' LopesRodrigo 'biguzera' BittencourtFelipe 'skullz' MedeirosRomeu 'zevy' Rocco Henrique 'rikz' Waku MIBR #36 Henrique 'HEN1' TelesRaphael 'exit' LacerdaMatheus 'Tuurtle' AnhaiaBreno 'brnz4n' PolettoFelipe 'insani' Yuji Bruno 'BIT' Fukuda Lima Kristian 'k0nfig' Wienecke Age: 25 Team: Ninjas in Pyjamas Rating 1.0: 1.08 Maps played: 1602 KPR: 0.75 DPR: 0.69 Cloud9 #10 Timur 'buster' TulepovAbay 'HObbit' KhassenovSergey 'Ax1Le' RykhtorovDmitry 'sh1ro' SokolovVladislav 'nafany' Gorshkov Konstantin 'groove' Pikiner Mathieu 'Maniac' Quiquerez Age: 32 Team: No team Rating 1.0: 0.96 Maps played: 837 KPR: 0.66 DPR: 0.67 Conner 'Scrawny' Girvan Age: 28 Team: No team Rating 1.0: 0.00 Maps played: 0 KPR: 0.00 DPR: 0.00 Tres 'stunna' Saranthus Age: 33 Team: No team Rating 1.0: 0.64 Maps played: 4 KPR: 0.30 DPR: 0.54 Mike 'DarfMike' Winnick Age: 29 Team: No team Rating 1.0: 0.00 Maps played: 0 KPR: 0.00 DPR: 0.00 Permitta #53 Rafał 'iso' TyncMariusz 'casey' JarząbDawid 'Layner' FalczyńskiPatryk 'olimp' WoźniakRafał 'sNx' Snopek Mikołaj 'turtle' Dziedzic Luis 'peacemaker' Tadeu Age: 34 Team: No team Rating 1.0: 0.46 Maps played: 2 KPR: 0.21 DPR: 0.66 Grayhound #31 Simon 'Sico' WilliamsJay 'Liazz' TregillgasAlistair 'aliStair' JohnstonJoshua 'INS' PotterDeclan 'Vexite' Portelli David 'Kingfisher' Kingsford G2 #2 Nikola 'NiKo' KovačNemanja 'huNter-' KovačJustin 'jks' SavageRasmus 'HooXi' NielsenIlya 'm0NESY' Osipov Jan 'Swani' Müller Spirit #13 Leonid 'chopper' VishnyakovBoris 'magixx' VorobievPavel 'S1ren' OgloblinRobert 'Patsi' IsyanovIhor 'w0nderful' Zhdanov Sergey 'hally' Shavaev