<
span style=”font-weight: 400;”>Intel and Valve have announced that the Intel Extreme Masters World Championship will return to Katowice in 2019.
Players and fans can look forward to three weeks of tournaments beginning on February 14 and running through March 3. The winner of the IEM World Championship will gain the winner’s share of the $1,000,000 prize pool, as well as an additional point towards the Intel Grand Slam.
From February 14-20, the Challengers Stage will feature 16 of the best Counter-Strike: Global Offensive players from around the world looking to advance to the next round of competition. The Challengers Stage will be held at the ESL Arena.
The top eight teams will proceed to the Legends Stage from February 21-24 at the International Congress Center. It is here that the eight Challenger Stage teams will be pitted against eight teams from the FACEIT Major.
Beginning February 28 and running through March 3, the top teams of that stage will advance to the four-day Champions Stage. The winner there will earn the title of Major Champion. The Champions Stage will be held at the Spodek Arena, which has previously been used for such tournaments as 2015’s ESL One event.
Intel also announced that the Intel Extreme Masters Expo will also be brought back to Katowice in 2019. The PC and gaming focused event will bring top exhibiting brands and additional side competitions to the show floor.
The FACEIT Major London will begin September 5 at the SSE Arena.
