Intel Extreme Masters: Katowice 2017 - Groups drawn

The groups have been announced for IEM Katowice 2017, which will kick off in less than a month.

The $250.000 tournament will begin on March 1 and will last until March 5. As with past iterations of the tournament, it will take place in the Spodek Arena, in Katowice, Poland, with 12 teams given the chance to take the trophy.

Over the last month, Heroic, fnatic, Natus Vincere, and Immortals have battled their way through a qualification process to join the invitees at the tournament; those invited were Virtus.pro, NiP, Astralis, SK, OpTic, Cloud9, FaZe, and North.

An important note about IEM 2017 is that it will be the first tournament in the post-major scene that has finalized rosters, from the major shuffles that have been taking place. Half of the teams in attendance have made roster changes, some more extreme than others, all significant for the layout of the scene.

IEM will be the first tournament for FaZe clan’s addition of NiKo, Immortal’s addition of fnx, and a second showing of new rosters from teams such as SK, OpTic, North, and fnatic. The reunited fnatic roster is the same that won IEM 2016, leaving now an exciting time for the Swedes, as they look to reclaim their title and their standing as a top team.

All 12 teams were determined last week when the final qualifier ended, allowing ESL to finally draw the groups, which are as follows:

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Blake “ExplosiveFarce” Williams 19 Years old, from the USA. Majoring in Journalism, with great interest in Esports. Follow me on Twitter: @ExplosiveFarce

Images: IEM twitter