IEM Sydney 2023 is here, kickstarting a brand new era of esports for Counter-Strike. With the tournament being played on Counter-Strike 2, it’s an opportunity for all of the best CS teams to stake their claim at the top of the new game.

So who has the best chance of putting together a solid run at this ESL Sydney tournament? We’ve put together this ultimate list of IEM Sydney 2023 power rankings, to make sure that you know your Vitality from your Grayhound.

Credit: ESL

IEM Sydney 2023 Favorites

At the very top of the IEM Sydney power rankings this time around is of course Vitality. The team finished CS:GO as the undisputed best team in the world, and will be looking to carry that title straight into Counter-Strike 2. We see no good reason why that can’t be the case, and IEM Sydney 2023 would be a great opportunity to make an early claim for the throne.

It’s hard to look past MOUZ at the moment, too. The young roster emerged victorious at ESL Pro League Season 18, proving to everyone what they’re capable of right now. That’s momentum they won’t want to let slip easily. With VERTEX Esports Club up first, they’ve got the opportunity to get off to a great start, although they’ve shown they won’t be shaken when up against the big names, either.

Elsewhere, you have to discuss teams like ENCE, NAVI, and G2 when talking about IEM Sydney favorites. These are some of the most consistent teams out there at the moment, teams you expect to win every time they step onto the server. Counter-Strike 2 changes things to some degree, but the fundamentals are still the same overall.

Take a look at our full CS2 power rankings for the teams at IEM Sydney 2023:

Team Vitality
ENCE
NAVI
G2 Esports
MOUZ
Cloud9
Monte
FaZe Clan
Complexity
BetBoom Team
Fnatic
GamerLegion
Apeks
Grayhound Gaming
Lynn Vision Gaming
VERTEX Esports Club

MOUZ will want to continue winning after ESL Pro League Season 18. Credit: ESLCS on Twitter

IEM Sydney 2023 Underdogs

Favorites are fun and all, but everyone loves to root for an underdog. In terms of IEM Sydney underdogs, we’ve got a few in mind that we want to discuss.

The first you should look out for is Grayhound. They’ve not exactly looked brilliant on the server in recent tournaments, but IEM Sydney 2023 is different. It’s on home turf for the Aussies, who will want to put on a show for their fans back in their stomping grounds. On the surface, they might seem like fodder for the rest of Group B, but we’re here to dream big.

Home turf is extra motivation for Grayhound. Credit: Adela Sznajder | © ESL

Keep one eye on BetBoom Team‘s performances at this ESL Sydney event. They’re a relatively new project, but with solid names like zorte, nafany, s1ren, and KaiR0N- on the team, they’ve got the talent to cause some damage Down Under. Vitality in the opener is a nightmare draw, but in an MR12 best-of-one, anything can happen.

Our final underdog to look out for at IEM Sydney 2023 is Complexity. We’ve got them sat at 9th in our overall power rankings, but make no mistake – Complexity can be a real handful for anyone. After a rocky start for the roster when it came together in June, they’ve started to look like a real team of late. Importantly, everyone is playing their part. It’s not just EliGE fragging out of his mind – all of floppy, Grim, hallzerk, and JT are putting in crucial performances, which is why we’re so interested to see how they compete at IEM Sydney 2023.