ESL reveals IEM Summer groups and initial matches

ESL has unveiled today the groups for IEM Summer, its $250,000 CS:GO event that’s slated to run from June 3 to 13, as well as the first matchups of the tournament.

IEM Summer will feature 16 CS:GO teams, 15 of which have already been confirmed, with the last spot being filled by the winner of the ESL National Championships Global playoff. The teams have been distributed into two groups of eight based on the ESL’s world rankings. Group A is headlined by the Russian squad Gambit, while Group B is spearheaded by Heroic.

IEM Summer’s Group A also features G2, Astralis, Vitality, Complexity, FunPlus Phoenix, Extra Salt, and the winner of the ESL National Championships Global playoff. Group B will include Virtus Pro, Team Spirit, Ninjas in Pyjamas, OG, Evil Geniuses, Fnatic, and Imperial.

This will be the first tournament of the ESL Pro Tour circuit to use Ancient, the new map that replaced Train in the Active Duty map pool at the beginning of May. IEM Summer will feature a double-elimination group stage format, with the top team from each group advancing straight to the semifinals. The second and third-placed team in each group, on the other hand, will move on to the quarterfinals.

Here are the initial matchups for IEM Summer.

Group A

• Gambit vs. ESL National Championship Global playoff winner
• Vitality vs. Complexity
• Astralis vs. FPX
• Extra Salt vs. G2

Group B

• Heroic vs. Imperial
• EG vs. Spirit
• NiP vs. OG
• Fnatic vs. Virtus Pro