Action never ceases in CS:GO esports. After last week's high profile PGL Major Antwerp 2022 event, which saw the downfall of NAVI and rise of FaZe, the cards are getting dealt again. This time in the form of IEM Dallas.
| Also Read | FaZe Clan: Victory of the believers |
The event, taking place in Dallas, Texas features 16 teams battling it out for the lion's share of$250,000 prize pool, and will throw the teams into a double elimination group stage before a single elimination playoff bracket, all topped off with a best-of-five grand final.
Thirteen of the 16 teams competing have recently returned from the Major, including the victor, FaZe Clan. Not only do they have less than a week to prepare, but the competition will be held in North America, which will add to the pressure.
A slugfest pitting Astralis against Vitality and a Brazilian derby between the local rivals, Imperial and FURIA, headline the opening matches of IEM Dallas, the schedule to which was announced via the IEM Twitter page.
Now let’s take a look at the schedule and format of IEM Dallas.
Format
The 16 teams competing at IEM Dallas have been placed in two groups of eight. The teams in each group will be placed in a double elimination bracket with two teams from the upper bracket and one from the lower bracket proceeding to the playoffs.
Six teams will compete in the playoffs, which will be a single elimination bracket. The top team from each group will be placed in the semifinals and will be one win away from reaching the final.
Or in other terms:
Closed Qualifier
- 8 Team Double Elimination (EU)
- 8 Team Double Elimination (NA)
- 4 Team Double Elimination (SA)
- 4 Team Double Elimination (ANZ)
- All other Matches Bo3
- 6 Teams advanced to the main event
Group Stage
- 2 x 8 Team Double Elimination
- Top 3 of each group to Playoffs
- Opening Matches Bo1
- All Matches Bo3
Playoffs
- 6 Teams Single Elimination
- Quarter- and Semi Final Bo3
- Grand Final Bo5
Schedule & Betting odds
You can click on the date/time to take yourself directly to the detailed match page. You can also bet live and livestream the matches.
Monday, May 30
Group A
- 18:00 G2 vs Movistar Riders | 1.26 vs. 3.50
- 18:00 MOUZ vs ENCE | 1.85 vs. 1.85
- 19:10 FaZe vs Looking For Org | 1.04 vs. 8.50
- 19:10 Astralis vs Vitality | 2.15 vs. 1.62
Group B
- 20:20 FURIA vs Imperial | 1.50 vs. 2.40
- 20:20 Liquid vs Cloud9 | 2.60 vs. 1.45
- 21:30 NIP vs BIG | 1.55 vs. 2.35
- 21:30 Heroic vs Complexity | 1.28 vs. 3.40
All times are according to CEST.
What to watch out for?
Time for some predictions about who’s going to win the IEM Dallas.
Looking at the groups, Group A appears to be more difficult than Group B. FaZe and ENCE, two of the top three teams in the world according to the most recent HLTV rankings, are in Group A and are highly likely to qualify for the playoffs. G2, Team Vitality, and Astralis will most likely compete for the third playoff berth in Group A.
Out of them all, G2 has the most chance to make it.
In Group B, FURIA, Cloud9, Ninjas in Pyjamas, and Heroic will most likely compete for the three slots. FURIA's first game is against fellow Brazilian squad Imperial. If they lose against Imperial, they will be demoted to the lower bracket and will have a more difficult time progressing, allowing C9, NIP, and Heroic to reach the finals, but it is a slim chance.
NiP should easily make it through.
FaZe will seek to win their fourth successive S-tier CS:GO event after winning the Antwerp Major. Their rival NAVI is unable to attend IEM Dallas owing to visa concerns, making FaZe's path to another title much simpler. They do have to fight with ENCE and G2, because they are in the same group as those two clubs.
FaZe have only lost five games since the start of IEM Katowice, and two of those losses have been against ENCE.
If there is one team that can stop them, it is ENCE.
Make sure to check out our article on PGL Antwerp and take a look at how teams attending IEM Dallas performed.
| Also Read | What we learned from PGL Antwerp 2022 |
FaZe might be suffering from jet lag after all, especially given the short period from Antwerp to the beginning of Dallas. Nonetheless, considering their dominance this year, anything less than reaching the final would be a surprise.
Don’t forget to claim your first deposit bonus by using code GLHF. Click down below to sign up!
