Six teams will compete beginning on Friday for the trophy, the majority of the $200,000 prize fund, and a seat in the #IEMKatowice2023 Play-In once the #ElisaMastersEspoo group stage has concluded.

The three favorites advanced to the playoffs after Group A, which began the competition on Wednesday, with no shocks about the progressing clubs. The results of Group B were far more unexpected, with 500 moving on at the cost of Bad News Eagles and Complexity, two of the top 25 teams.

The Event So Far

The outcomes now set up the quarterfinal matches for Friday, with BIG and 500 on one side of the bracket taking on ENCE and Astralis in the other. The semi-final round, which will take place on Saturday, will include the top-placed clubs from each group, Sprout and fnatic.

With Sprout, ENCE, and BIG moving through the group, Group A's outcomes were as anticipated. Sprout won the competition, skipping the quarterfinal round and moving on to the final four, where they will face the winner of the contest between BIG and 500.

Due to ENCE's poorer head-to-head record versus Sprout, which they defeated by a narrow score of 19-16 thanks to Ismail #refrezh Ali and company, ENCE finished in second place. BIG is the last playoff squad from Group A, and they are once more competing with an incomplete lineup due to AWPer Florian #syrsoN Rische's positive COVID-19 test results. Despite having a 3-2 record in the group, the German team made it to the next round.

Group B turned out to be far more competitive, with Astralis and Complexity competing for the last playoff position. With a 19-17 victory over Nuke, the Danes emerged victorious and joined fnatic and 500 in the playoffs.

Major quarterfinalists fnatic competed with academy player Peppe #Peppzor Borak in lieu of Freddy #KRIMZ Johansson and nevertheless finished first in the group with just one loss and advanced to the semi-final. Due to having a poorer head-to-head record versus fnatic, 500 ranked second in the group with the identical 4-1 record. The Bulgarian team will now play BIG in the quarterfinals.

In order to take third place in the group, Astralis—who replaced Nicolai #device Reedtz with Kristoffer #Kristou Aamand—needed a tremendous effort from Benjamin #blameF Bremer. The 25-year-old recorded a tournament-high rating of 1.40, with his greatest effort being in the championship match versus Complexity when he racked up 40 kills.

The Playoffs Begin

Beginning on November 18, the playoffs will include the following matchups: