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Hall Of Heroes: IEM Katowice 2025 Kicks Off As CS2’s Best Teams Come Together

By Jake McEvoy

29 Jan 2025

Jake McEvoy 29 Jan 2025

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IEM Katowice 2025, 'Hall of Heroes' starts with Play-In stage.
24 teams vie for CS2 supremacy and a $1,250,000 prize pool.
Playoffs held at Spodek Arena; Team Spirit favored to win.

The Hall of Heroes - IEM Katowice 2025
Schedule
Participating Teams
Betting On IEM Katowice 2025
IEM Katowice 2025 FAQs

“Hall of Heroes”, the official title of the IEM Katowice 2025 tournament, officially begins today and we’re taking a look ahead at the official schedule, the teams and players, and the odds of who might be crowned the best team in CS2 for 2025.

The Hall of Heroes - IEM Katowice 2025

Whether Counter-Strike 2 is your favourite game or you’ve simply become a big fan of the world’s biggest Esports tournaments, today is a day that could well be marked in your diary.

Hall of Heroes - the official name of Intel Extreme Masters ESL Katowice 2025 - gets underway with the Play-In stage of the tournament. It’s where the teams involved will look to establish their positions and get off to the best start possible.

24 teams enter at this stage but there can only be one winner, and with a prize pool worth $1,250,000 on the table, who knows who’s going to shine through.

Schedule

While there are many fans who will be waiting for the LAN stage of the tournament on the 7th of February, there are plenty of Counter-Strike 2 fans - as well as fans of the participating Esports teams in general - who will start watching from today with the Play-In stage of the tournament.

Following the Play-In stage, we will then have the Group Stages, followed by the Playoffs.

Play-In Stage - 29th-31st of January

In a double-elimination format, 16 teams will play each other in best-of-three matchups. From this level, the top eight teams will go on to the Group Stage.

16-team Double-Elimination bracket
All matches are best of three
Top 8 teams will advance to Stage 2

Group Stages - 1st-4th of February

Eight directly qualifying teams will join the eight teams who advance from the Play-In Stage. These 16 teams will play best-of-three matches in a double-elimination style after being split into two groups of eight.

The teams in second and third place will go to the quarterfinals, while the champions of each group will advance straight to the semifinals.

2 x 8 team Double-Elimination brackets
All matches are best of three
The top 3 teams from each group advance to the Playoffs
Group winners advance to the Semifinals
Group runners-up advance to Quarterfinals as the High Seeds
Group 3rd place teams advance to Quarterfinals as the Low Seeds

Playoffs - 7th-9th of February

The top six Group Stage teams will face off in a bracket with just one elimination. The Grand Final is a best-of-five matchup after the quarterfinals and the semifinals are best-of-three contests.

The main LAN event, open to the public, takes place from February 7 to 9 at the Spodek Arena in Katowice.

Participating Teams

Want to check if your favourite Esports team is participating or you’re not sure who to support? 24 teams will be taking part in total, with 16 of them hoping to meet the 8 teams who have already directly qualified for the Group Stage.

Directly Qualified to Group Stage

G2 Esports
Team Spirit
The MongolZ
Team Vitality
FaZe Clan
MOUZ
Natus Vincere
Team Falcons

Play-In Stage Teams

Team Liquid
FURIA Esports
paiN Gaming
MIBR
3DMAX
GamerLegion
Eternal Fire
Complexity
SAW
BIG
FlyQuest
Astralis
Wildcard Gaming
Virtus.pro
Imperial Fe
Heroic

Betting On IEM Katowice 2025

Whether you plan on attending the live Playoffs or you prefer to observe from your own gaming station at home, you may be considering placing a few bets on the events.

888Starz has already put together some interesting stats, including the odds of who they think could be crowned champions come the end of the tournament.

As you can see, it’s last year’s winner Team Spirit who are just about tipped as favourites to win the tournament. As expected, the odds are very close, though, and it’s anyone’s game.

Of course, it’s not just the event winners that you are able to bet on. You’ll be able to bet on everything from the winners of each game to the MVP of the tournament.

Plus, if you don’t already have an account, you can create one using our exclusive 888Starz promo code “130CASH” in order to claim the site’s latest welcome offer - which you could then use to fund your Katowice 2025 betting experience!

IEM Katowice 2025 FAQs

When Does IEM Katowice 2025 Begin?

IEM Katowice 2025 begins with the Play-In Stage of the tournament on Wednesday the 29th of January 2025.

Where Is IEM 2025 Take Place?

The Playoffs for IEM 2025 are taking place at the Spodek Arena, Katowice, Poland.

Which Teams Are Taking Part In IEM Katowice 2025?

G2 Esports, Team Spirit, The MongolZ, Team Vitality, FaZe Clan, MOUZ, Natus Vincere, Team Falcons, and 16 other Esports teams will be taking part in IEM Katowice 2025.

When Are The IEM Katowice 2025 Playoffs?

The Playoffs of IEM Katowice will begin on the 7th of February, after the Play-Ins and Group Stage have concluded, and will end on Sunday the 9th of February 2025.

Who Is The Favourite Team For IEM Katowice 2025?

As things stand, it’s the current title holders Team Spirit who are favourites to win IEM Katowice 2025.

Where Can I Bet On IEM Katowice 2025 Matches?

There are many gambling sites where you can bet on Esports matches and events like IEM Katowice 2025, but it is 888Starz who are looking ahead to this event with great odds and promotions.

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