IEM Sydney 2023 Preview | Stand-In Trouble Threatens First CS2 Tournament

IEM Sydney 2023 begins tomorrow, marking the first time Counter-Strike has gone Down Under since 2019. It also begins the Counter-Strike 2 esports era, giving all players the opportunity to start fresh in the new game. Here’s our IEM Sydney 2023 preview, for everything you need to know before the action gets underway!

Stand-In Trouble

One factor that could affect IEM Sydney 2023 is the presence of stand-ins for a couple of the top teams at the tournament. In our IEM Sydney 2023 power rankings, we had both NAVI and MOUZ near the top. However, news broke recently that MOUZ are using Nexius in place of Jimpphat due to visa problems, and NAVI are using coach B1ad3 in place of s1mple, his first official in five years.

This doesn’t necessarily mean these teams don’t stand a chance at IEM Sydney 2023. But there’s no doubt these two growing rosters want to use the tournament as a building block for the future, which has now become much more difficult.

The Hometown Heroes

We can’t do an IEM Sydney 2023 preview without discussing the hometown heroes. Australia and Counter-Strike go hand-in-hand, so for its representatives at IEM Sydney 2023, this tournament means more. The two Aussie rosters are Grayhound and VERTEX Esports Club, both of whom are considered fodder for the bigger teams. Still, it would mean a lot if they could give their fans something to cheer for before the tournament is completed.

In terms of individuals, there are a couple of Australians on international rosters: jks of G2, and dexter of Fnatic. If Grayhound and VERTEX Esports Club can’t perform, let’s hope jks and dexter can give the fans something to cheer for.

IEM Sydney 2023 Schedule

The IEM Sydney 2023 Group Stage runs from October 16th to 18th. Then the Playoffs begin on the 20th, swiftly followed by the Semi-Finals on the 21st. Finally, there’s the Grand Final, which is to be played on October 22nd.

Here are the first matches you can catch of IEM Sydney 2023:

Of the opening matches, we’d recommend you keep one eye on Vitality vs BetBoom Team. Vitality are playing without zonic for the first time since he left the organization, and BetBoom Team are a bit of an unknown quantity right now. Elsewhere, FaZe vs GamerLegion, NAVI vs Apeks, and Fnatic vs Cloud9 should all prove to be thoroughly competitive match-ups.

How to Watch IEM Sydney 2023

You’ll be able to catch IEM Sydney 2023 over on the ESL Twitch channel. When the tournament begins, that’s where you’ll catch all of the action on the server.

IEM Sydney 2023 Talent

ESL has already confirmed the top talent bringing IEM Sydney 2023 to our screens – here’s the full group: