The Group Stage is about to begin! We've just wrapped up three days of the Play-In Stage, but the action doesn't stop there. From February 4-7 we will get to see some of the biggest teams on the CS:GO scene fighting it out to see who will make it to the Playoffs.
IEM Katowice 2023: Group A upper bracket quarterfinals schedule and betting odds
Eight teams were sent home during the Playoffs, leaving 16 remaining in the tournament. That includes the eight teams who managed to fight their way through the Play-In Stage, as well as an additional eight who automatically qualified for the Group Stage due to their stellar performances in 2022.
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But only six of those 16 teams will be able to make it to the Playoffs, taking place from February 10-12. With six teams now facing elimination, we have a chaotic few days ahead of us - so let's take a look at the schedule and betting odds!
The Group A action will kick off at 11:30 AM GMT, where we'll be treated to a pair of matches - one of which will see Cloud9 going up against Natus Vincere (NAVI).
Cloud9 have made it to the Play-In stage through a terrific performance at the Play-In Stage, silencing their nay-sayers through an uncontested win streak through the upper bracket. They opened up this year's IEM Katowice through a 16-5 domination against IHC Esports in their best-of-one debut match. After that, they quickly moved on to secure their spot at the Group Stage through a 2-1 victory over ENCE. It's a strong start and an excellent sign for their performance on the Group Stage.
NAVI meanwhile will be making their IEM Katowice 2023 debut today, having earned their spot at the Group Stage through their position on the ESL World Ranking. The once-unstoppable superstar team has been far from their glory days recently, having struggled through 2022 - at least, compared to their phenomenal 2021 run. They're coming into Katowice after a fairly middling 4th - 6th place at this year's BLAST Premier Spring Groups - so their fans will no doubt be hoping for a return to form in Katowice.
Still, the odds are in Cloud9's favour here, at 1.59 vs NAVI's 2.37.
The second match taking place at 11:30 am GMT on February 4 meanwhile will see G2 Esports competing with BIG.
G2 Esports (1.24) vs BIG (4.13)
Similarly to NAVI, G2 Esports earned their spot at the IEM Katowice Group Stage through their position on the ESL World Ranking, where they're sat in a respectable 5th place. Expectations are therefore high for their performance in Katowice, especially considering their recent success at BLAST Premier Spring Groups 2023, where they placed in 1st-3rd place. Additionally, the team came close to winning last year's IEM Katowice, when they were defeated by FaZe Clan in the 2022 grand final - So they'll definitely be a team worth keeping your eye on this year.
BIG meanwhile earned their spot in today's match through the Play-In Stage, where they faced off fierce competition to qualify. Their opening best-of-one match against Complexity Gaming was a close-fought affair, with BIG ultimately claiming a 16-12 victory. With Complexity defeated, they went toe-to-toe with FURIA Esports to win the right to qualify for the next stage of the tournament, ultimately defeating the Brazilian team with a score of 2-1. Still, G2 are undoubtedly the steepest competition they've faced so far this tournament - and they'll have to pull out all the stops to stay out of the lower bracket.
The odds are fairly strongly in G2's favour here, at 1.24 vs BIG's 4.13.
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The Group A action doesn't stop there, however. We have another match to look forward to at 15:00 PM GMT - which will see FaZe Clan going up against Team Spirit.
FaZe Clan (1.24) vs Team Spirit (4.13)
FaZe Clan earned their spot at the Katowice Group Stage through their success at IEM Cologne 2022 - where they were crowned the champions after defeating NAVI in the grand final. Of course, that victory is just one of many such successes last year, a stellar performance that FaZe Clan has carried into 2022, with their recent 1st-3rd position at BLAST Premier Spring Groups 2023. Additionally, FaZe Clan are the returning champions at this year's tournament, having won IEM Katowice 2022 - and as such have enormously high expectations on their shoulders this week.
Team Spirit meanwhile have made it to the Group Stage through a respectable, though not uncontested run through the Play-In Stage. Things started off well for Spirit, with a 16-6 victory over Grayhound Gaming in their debut match. However, they were knocked down into the lower bracket through a 0-2 loss to Ninjas in Pyjamas, forcing the team into a do-or-die face-off with Sprout. Fortunately for Spirit, they emerged as the victors with a score of 2-1, but few teams relish the idea of having to defeat FaZe Clan.
As such, FaZe Clan are heavily favoured to win here, with odds of 1.24 vs Team Spirit's 4.13.
Finally in Group A, we have our second 15:00 AM GMT match - a face-off between Team Liquid and IHC Esports.
Team Liquid (1.13) vs IHC Esports (5.97)
Team Liquid's fantastic second place on the ESL World Rankings earned them an automatic invitation to the Katowice Group Stage, with their fans understandably having high expectations for the team. Still, they haven't exactly started 2023 on a stellar note, coming in a disappointing 10th - 12th place at this year's BLAST Premier Spring Groups. Team Liquid additionally has to make up for a disappointing 13th - 16th positioning at last year's IEM Katowice - and so all eyes will be on Liquid at this year's tournament.
IHC Esports have just finished up a troubled, though successful run through the Play-In Stage. They opened this year's tournament with a brutal 16-5 loss against Cloud9, thereby immediately sending them into the lower bracket. They fared considerably better there however, easily defeating paiN Gaming with a score of 2-0, before knocking FURIA Esports out of the tournament through a 2-1 win. Still, despite Team Liquid's recent struggles, they're likely to prove an enormous challenge for IHC.
As such, the odds are heavily in Team Liquid's favour here, with odds of 1.13 vs IHC's 5.97.
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