After the last major esports event of 2021 ended – BLAST Premier World Final, the organizer of ESL tournaments, has published the final rankings and announced the final list of participants in IEM Katowice. A total of sixteen teams will compete in the play-in stage. Eight of them were already known earlier, and another eight have now been determined, taking into account the latest changes in the world ranking.
In particular, Copenhagen Flames – a Danish team that demonstrated unexpectedly high results at PGL Major Stockholm this year. Now she has to prove that success at the major was not an accident. Among other European teams included in the play-in – fnatic, ENCE, BIG and OG, with the latter two facing significant roster changes before the tournament. The only team from the CIS in the play-in will be Entropiq, since the three leaders of the region – Virtus.pro, Natus Vincere and Gambit – received invitations directly to the main stage.
The only team from North America to make the play-in was Extra Salt. Given that there has recently been speculation about her lineup moving to Complexity in 2022, it remains unclear whether the slot will remain with this lineup.
The IEM Katowice play-in phase will begin on February 15, 2022. The eight teams that became its leaders will advance to the next stage, where they will meet eight opponents who received a direct invitation.
