Get ready for IEM Katowice 2025, all you Counter-Strike 2 (CS2) esports fans! The “Hall of Heroes” awaits the final six teams in Poland, but to get there, the best squads in the world must compete through multiple stages of competition.
Tournament organizer ESL isn’t pulling any punches with this iconic event, so let’s jump straight in to discuss the tournament format, schedule, teams competing, and how you can watch all the IEM Katowice 2025 matches live.
IEM Katowice Schedule & Format
It all begins with the Play-In stage, which runs from 29 to 31 January 2025. Here, 16 teams compete for eight spots in the main event in one round of best-of-three matches. Winners move on; losers go home. Ouch!
First-round matchups of the IEM Katowice 2025 Play-In stage were based on Valve’s Global Standings (13/01/2025). Check them out below.
- Team Liquid vs. HEROIC
- Complexity vs. Eternal Fire
- 3DMax vs. FlyQuest
- Astralis vs. MIBR
- paiN Gaming vs. Virtus.pro
- GamerLegion vs. SAW
- Wildcard Gaming vs. BIG
- Imperial Female vs. FURIA Esports
Following the Play-In stage, it’s time for the main event, which is broken up into a Group Stage and a Playoffs stage.
The eight teams who made it through the Play-In stage join the eight directly invited teams in the Group Stage starting on 1 February 2025. The Group Stage format is two double-elimination GSL-style groups with eight teams each. All matches are best-of-three. The winners of each group advance to the semifinals of the Playoffs, the runners-up advance to the Quarterfinals (High Seeds), and the third-place teams to the Quarterfinals (Low Seeds). The remaining teams are eliminated.
Directly Invited CS2 Teams:
- Team Falcons
- G2 Esports
- Team Vitality
- FaZe Clan
- NAVI
- MOUZ
- The MongolZ
- Team Spirit
From 7 to 9 February 2025, the remaining six teams will fight at the Spodek Arena in Katowice, Poland. The format is a single-elimination bracket, where quarterfinals and semifinals are best-of-three, and the grand finale is best-of-five.
All The Broadcast Talent
ESL recently revealed the broadcast talent, with fantastic commentators, analysts, and desk hosts to entertain us and take us through the entire event. Check out the complete, official list below.
Stage Hosts:
- Iain Chambers
- Oliver “OJ Borg” D’Anastasi
Desk Hosts:
- James “BanKs” Banks
- Tres “stunna” Saranthus
- Freya “Freya” Spiers
- Eefje “sjokz” Depoortere
Analysts:
- Aleksandar “kassad” Trifunović
- Jacob “Pimp” Winneche
- Janko “YNk” Paunović
- Joshua “steel” Nissan
Commentators:
- Chad “SPUNJ” Burchill
- Alex “Machine” Richardson
- Harry “JustHarry” Russell
- Hugo “Hugo” Byron
- Adam “Dinko” Hawthorne
- Jason “moses” O’Toole
- Conner “Scrawny” Girvan
- Mohan “launders” Govindasamy
Honestly, even the broadcast talent lineup is stacked!
How To Watch IEM Katowice 2025
You can watch all the CS2 esports action unfold on the ESLCS Twitch channel and catch up with highlights via the ESL Counter-Strike YouTube channel.
We recommend you also check ESL’s official event page for up-to-date info or any last-minute changes.
Stay tuned to our esports section, as I will personally bring you detailed guides, results, news, and much more for many events in 2025 and beyond.
