First round matches confirmed for 2019 IEM Katowice CS:GO Major New Challengers Stage

The opening matches of the IEM Katowice CS:GO Major have officially been confirmed, and there are some seriously tasty matchups that will take place when the Major begins.

The event is the first major Counter-Strike: Global Offensive tournament of 2019, with 24 of the best teams in the world descending on Katowice, Poland in hopes of claiming the prestigious crown.

With the IEM Katowice Major kicking off on Wednesday, February 13, the first round of matches for the New Challengers Stage have officially been announced.

The format for the 2019 IEM Katowice Major has seen some significant tweaks from past majors, and nowhere is it more evident than in the New Challengers Stage.

This time, the 16 teams in New Challengers were asked to rate the other teams in their stage based on their own personal opinions, with those answers being tallied up and averaged to find the team’s seeding heading into the tournament, which you can view below.

With those seedings finalized, it means that the opening matches of the tournament have also been set, and some interesting matches have been thrown up ahead of the start of competition.

Only one team will get their hands on the IEM Katowice Major trophy.

Fnatic will face off against ViCi Gaming in the first round, who secured their place in the competition by beating out North and Team Envy in the 3rd PLace Playoff, while NRG Esports take on the other Playoff qualifier, Winstrike. AVANGAR will square up with Renegades, with both squads ranked eighth and ninth in what is sure to be a tight match.

The 2019 IEM Katowice Major is set to kick off on Wednesday, February 13, and you can make sure you don’t miss any of the action with our handy IEM Katowice Major viewing guide.

You can see the full first round matches below.

IEM Katowice 2019 New Challenger Stage – Round 1