The teams for IEM Oakland were finalized last night, and the stage is now set for 12 of the world’s best teams to compete for $300,000 and CS:GO glory in November.
Team Envy and OpTic Gaming are the last teams to earn their spots for the upcoming installment of IEM Oakland in California, which runs from Nov. 16 to 19. Envy won the European online qualifier, while OpTic topped the North American qualifier last night.
The European IEM qualifier ended with Envy emerging victorious from a tough bracket. They defeated Fnatic 2-0, North 2-1, and Mousesports 2-0 to take their well-deserved spot. The French lineup also outlasted other top European teams, such as Natus Vincere and BIG, who were on the latter side of the bracket.
On the other side of the pond, OpTic dominated their way to the top with a relatively easy run. The Green Wall edged out open bracket team Torqued 2-0, NRG Esports 2-1, and finally Renegades 2-1. Other top North American teams that didn’t make the cut include Misfits and CLG.
OpTic and Envy join a list of invited teams, whose invites were given out one by one over the past few months. Those teams include Astralis, Cloud9, FaZe Clan, G2 Esports, Gambit Esports, Immortals, Team Liquid, Ninjas in Pyjamas, and SK Gaming. The only exception to the list is The MongolZ, who also qualified for IEM Oakland through the East/Southeast Asia Qualifier in late September.
Although the groups for the $300,000 event haven’t been announced yet, it’s certain that the 12 attending competitors will go head-to-head in a round robin group stage and a single-elimination, best-of-three playoff stage, with the grand finals being a best-of-five.
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