You wouldn’t think it’d be hard work for Australian teams to make an appearance at a global esports event held on their home turf, but you’d be surprised.
The Sydney group stage of the Intel Extreme Masters Counter-Strike: Global Offensive competition lands at Qudos Bank Arena next month, bringing with it some of the most highly venerated teams from around the world. The good news for Australian teams competing in upcoming events like next week’s Sydney Derby at the AU & NZ CS:GO Championship and this weekend’s Oceanic Qualifiers is that the winners of both comps will earn a spot among the global elite at IEM Sydney.
Though all three events are operated by esports production company ESL, this is the first time any local championship has fed directly into an IEM group stage. Those vying for a spot have a lot of competition on their hands.
Local teams expected to put in a significant showing include Melbourne stars Grayhound Gaming and ORDER, as well as Sydney Chiefs Esports Club.
The CS: GO Oceanic Qualifiers go down Sunday, April 14 and will be streamed live on the ESL CSGO Twitch channel. The IEM Sydney Derby happens Thursday, April 18 and will be streamed live on the ESL Australia Twitch channel.
IEM Sydney 2019 opens at Qudos Bank Arena and you can go in person, with tickets available via Ticketek.
