Entropiq, fnatic, Extra Salt, and Copenhagen Flames are among the final teams to be confirmed for the tournament.
Following the conclusion of the year’s final Big Event, the complete team list for IEM Katowice 2022 was published, with the final modifications to the ESL World Ranking on Monday defining the final set of eight teams that will join the Play-In stage.
Among those that received final invites to the competition’s opening 16-team phase are fnatic, who have been slowly ascending the rankings and displaying great form since the arrival of Owen “smooya” Butterfield.
Copenhagen Flames, who dazzled with a dark horse run at PGL Major Stockholm but have struggled to maintain momentum since returning to online play, have also advanced to the Play-In stage, where they will seek to show that their Major successes were not a fluke.
ENCE, BIG, and OG are also among the European teams invited, with the latter two teams linked to roster changes heading into the new year, with OG in particular suffering a significant hit should the rumored move of Aleksi “Aleksib” Virolainen to G2 come to fruition.
Entropiq, on the other hand, received the single CIS invite as the region’s highest-ranked team outside of Natus Vincere, Virtus.pro, and Gambit, who have all advanced directly to the main event.
Extra Salt, the only other North American team due to attend the event alongside Liquid, secured the final spot in the Play-In stage. The team’s core was recently associated with a probable move to Complexity in 2022, raising the question of whether the players would carry over the slot to the organization with a roster majority if the transfer is completed.
The Play-In stage of IEM Katowice will begin on February 15, with eight teams advancing to the main event to face another eight invited teams. The following is the complete list of teams that will compete in the tournament:
Main Event
Natus Vincere
G2
Heroic
Furia
Vitality Gambit
Virtus.pro
Liquid
NIP Astralis
Renegades
Wisla Krakow Extra Salt Entropiq Copenhagen Flames ENCE FaZe GODSENT
TYLOO MIBR
BIG OG
fnatic MOUZThe #IEM Katowice 2022 play-in invites ⤵️@NIPGamingJP@AstralisCS@FaZeClan@GODSENT@ExtraSaltGG@mibr@Renegades@tyloogaming@BIGCLANgg@Entropiqteam@OGcsgo@CPHFlames@FNATIC@ENCE@mousesports@WislaGames
— ESL Counter-Strike (@ESLCS) December 22, 2021