The Play-In stages for IEM Katowice 2021 are set to begin on the 16th of February and feature 16 teams competing for their slot into the Group Stage of the tournament. However, there have been some changes made to attending teams due to travel restrictions and team withdrawals.
Team Replacement Rules
You can find the replacement rules for IEM Katowice 2021 here. Where normally we would replace teams within a region 2 weeks prior to the tournament start date, due to current restrictions in travel these have been increased to 4 weeks prior to the event start date.
Ninjas in Pyjamas replace Tyloo
Tyloo were invited via the ESL Pro Tour Asia slot however have declined due to current travel issues. Both ViCi Gaming and TIGER were invited thereafter, they both initially accepted, however withdrew due to similar travel issues.We worked closely with all three teams in an attempt to get them to Europe to participate.
In line with our team replacement rules, the Asia EPT slot for the event has now been transferred to the home region of the tournament (Europe). Ninjas in Pyjamas received the invite as the next European team in the ESL Pro Tour European standings.
Team One replace Chaos Esports Club
Team One have replaced Chaos Esports Club as the next eligible ESL Pro Tour North American standings invite as Chaos Esports Club declined their invite.
Wisła Kraków replaces Illuminar Gaming
Illuminar Gaming was unable to field an eligible lineup and therefore Wisła Kraków have replaced them. Wisła Kraków placed 2nd at the ESL Polish Championships Autumn 2020 therefore earning their slot.
Here is an updated overview of the IEM Katowice 2021 Play-In teams
We’re excited to see which 8 of these 16 teams will be qualifying for the IEM Katowice 2021 Group Stage. Be sure to keep up to date with our Twitter and catch all the action on our Twitch Channels.
