IEM Chicago 2018 will not only feature the best CS:GO teams on Earth. In order to support the growing varsity esports scene in the United States, we’ve decided to shake things up and feature two of the best colleges in the Midwest on the main stage at the Winstrust Arena right before the Grand Finals on Sunday, November 11.



The original pool of 12 participants has been thinned down to a final four, with the winners of each match-up getting their chance to show their talent on the biggest stage in the Windy City. The deciding matches will be played on October 20th:



-Michigan State University vs. University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign

-Robert Morris University vs. Ohio State University



Do you want to support your school at IEM Chicago 2018? Click here to get your tickets!

It’s been a long road to put the IEM Chicago Collegiate Invitational. The invitational was created to showcase the Midwest talent present in both CS:GO and in collegiate esports in general. Through a two week registration process starting in the end of September, 12 schools indicated their interest in participating in the invitational; leading to October 5th’s live group drawing in addition to the announcement of the event itself.

The tournament consisted of a multi-week schedule with a round-robin group stage followed by a single-elimination bracket that would eventually culminate in the final two schools playing on stage at the Wintrust Arena.

All organizations are given the opportunity to demonstrate to their universities the growing importance of a structured esports department in hopes of a continued collaboration with IEM in the future prior to the Midwest Collegiate Esports Conference - a new opportunity to unite gamers, artists, digital technology, and all forms of media under one roof for an engaging experience.

To keep track of the tournament, you can visit the challonge bracket by clicking here.