The first Counter-Strike 2 Premier tournament was played in IEM Sydney, and FaZe Clan has made history by winning the first CS2 LAN event, here is all you need to know about it.
- FaZe makes history with the first Premier CS2 trophy lift
- FaZe and Complexity meet in the Grand Final
- First major LAN tournament played on Counter-Strike 2
When Counter-Strike 2 was released in September 2023, it also meant all Counter-Strike tournaments would be switching from CSGO to the new game, which left IEM Sydney as the first major CS2 LAN event, and FaZe Clan has just made history.
With Robin “ropz” Kool as tournament MVP, FaZe won the first CS2 trophy in spectacular fashion. The team faltered in their first outing in the group stages, being sent down to the lower bracket and facing elimination on the first day against powerhouses Team Vitality.
FaZe grinded through the lower bracket in the group stages, reaching the playoffs as the third seed. In the quarterfinals, the team went up against ENCE, and won in historic fashion. In map two, FaZe pulled off the very first 13-0, live in front of an Australian crowd who was fully behind them.
🏆YOUR #IEM SYDNEY CHAMPIONS 🏆@FaZeClan THE FIRST TEAM TO LIFT A CS2 TROPHY 🥳@karriganCSGO@FaZe_rainCS@broky@Twistzz@ropz@neo_fkubski pic.twitter.com/H7vIl3kpUr
— ESL Counter-Strike (@ESLCS) October 22, 2023
In the semifinals against MOUZ, who reached the semifinals with a substitute player, they won in a convincing 2-0 with no signs of stopping. In the Grand Finals with an unlikely appearance of Complexity, the Americans won the first map. However, FaZe reversing the next two maps, and won the third map of Ancient in close fashion at overtime.
The tournament also brought several other surprises, with Team Vitality getting eliminated at last place, NAVI without s1mple winning their CS2 debut match, and Complexity, with a relatively new roster, making it all the way to the Grand Final.
Here’s everything you need to know about 2023 IEM Sydney:
IEM Sydney 2023: Final standings
| Placement | Team | Prize money (USD) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | FaZe Clan | $100,000 |
| 2 | Complexity | $42,000 |
| 3-4 | G2MOUZ | $20,000 |
| 5-6 | BetBoomENCE | $10,000 |
| 7-8 | GamerLegionMonte | $6,000 |
| 9-12 | NAVIApeksFnaticCloud9 | $5,000 |
| 13-16 | Team VitalityGrayhoundVERTEX EsportsLynn Vision Gaming | $4,000 |
IEM Sydney 2023: Dates, format and venues
IEM Sydney runs from October 16 through October 22, all taking place in ICC Sydney.
The key dates are:
- Group Stage: October 16-19
- Playoffs: October 20-22
Unlike previous IEM Sydney’s where the group stage had an audience, 2023’s will only field an audience during the last three days of the Playoffs.
Playoffs (October 20-22)
- All six qualified teams are placed into a single elimination bracket
- All matches are Bo3
IEM Sydney 2023: Schedule and results
Playoffs (October 20-22)
October 22
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| Stage | Match | PT | ET | BST |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Final | Complexity 1-2 FaZe | 12:30 AM | 3:30 AM | 8:30 AM |
October 21
| Stage | Match | PT | ET | BST |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Semifinals | G2 0-2 Complexity | 10:30 PM | 1:30 AM | 6:30 AM |
| Semifinals | MOUZ 0-2 FaZe | 1:30 AM | 4:30 AM | 9:30 AM |
October 20
| Stage | Match | PT | ET | BST |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quarterfinals | Complexity 2-0 BetBoom | 10:30 PM | 1:30 AM | 6:30 AM |
| Quarterfinals | FaZe 2-0 ENCE | 1:30 AM | 4:30 AM | 9:30 AM |
Group Stage (October 16-19)
| Group A | Group B |
|---|---|
| Vitality | ENCE |
| BetBoom | Lynn Vision |
| FaZe | Cloud9 |
| GamerLegion | Fnatic |
| NAVI | Monte |
| Apeks | Complexity |
| VERTEX | Grayhound |
| MOUZ | G2 |
Day 1: October 16
| Stage | Match | PT | ET | BST |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Upper Round 1 | NAVI 13-9 Apeks | 5 PM | 8 PM | 1 AM |
| Upper Round 1 | VERTEX 2-13 MOUZ | 5 PM | 8 PM | 1 AM |
| Upper Round 1 | Vitality 14-16 BetBoom | 6:15 PM | 9:15 PM | 2:15 AM |
| Upper Round 1 | FaZe 15-19 GamerLegion | 6:15 PM | 9:15 PM | 2:15 AM |
| Upper Round 1 | ENCE 13-6 Lynn Vision | 7:30 PM | 10:30 PM | 3:30 AM |
| Upper Round 1 | Cloud9 10-13 Fnatic | 7:30 PM | 10:30 PM | 3:30 AM |
| Upper Round 1 | G2 13-11 Grayhound | 8:45 PM | 11:45 PM | 4:45 AM |
| Upper Round 1 | Monte 9-13 Complexity | 8:45 PM | 11:45 PM | 4:45 AM |
| Upper Round 2 | MOUZ 2-1 NAVI | 10 PM | 1 AM | 6 AM |
| Lower Round 1 | VERTEX 0-2 Apeks | 10 PM | 1 AM | 6 AM |
| Upper Round 2 | BetBoom 2-0 GamerLegion | 1:30 AM | 4:30 AM | 9:30 AM |
| Lower Round 1 | Vitality 1-2 FaZe | 1:30 AM | 4:30 AM | 9:30 AM |
Day 2: October 17
| Stage | Match | PT | ET | BST |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lower Round 1 | Grayhound 0-2 Monte | 7:30 PM | 10:30 PM | 3:30 AM |
| Upper Round 2 | G2 2-0 Complexity | 7:30 PM | 10:30 PM | 3:30 AM |
| Lower Round 1 | Lynn Vision 0-2 Cloud9 | 10:30 PM | 1:30 AM | 6:30 AM |
| Upper Round 2 | ENCE 2-1 Fnatic | 10:30 PM | 1:30 AM | 6:30 AM |
| Lower Round 2 | Apeks 0-2 GamerLegion | 1:30 AM | 4:30 AM | 9:30 AM |
| Lower Round 2 | NAVI 1-2 FaZe | 1:30 AM | 4:30 AM | 9:30 AM |
Day 3: October 18
| Stage | Match | PT | ET | BST |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lower Round 2 | Complexity 2-1 Cloud9 | 7:30 PM | 10:30 PM | 3:30 AM |
| Lower Round 2 | Fnatic 1-2 Monte | 7:30 PM | 10:30 PM | 3:30 AM |
| Upper Final | BetBoom 1-2 MOUZ | 10:30 PM | 1:30 AM | 6:30 AM |
| Lower Final | FaZe 2-1 GamerLegion | 10:30 PM | 1:30 AM | 6:30 AM |
| Upper Final | ENCE 0-2 G2 | 1:30 AM | 4:30 AM | 9:30 AM |
| Upper Final | Complexity 2-0 Monte | 1:30 AM | 4:30 AM | 9:30 AM |
IEM Sydney 2023: Stream & VODs
The tournament was streamed live on ESL’s official CS Twitch channel. It was also available on their YouTube channel.
If you would like to rewatch a match, you can check out the ESL CS YouTube channel for all the VODs, we have embedded the Grand Finals below for your convenience.
In addition to the official English stream, there were various other streams in other languages.
IEM Sydney 2023: Teams and rosters
Six of the 17 teams were invited as ESL Partnered teams, with Grayhound getting a Local Hero Invite. The rest of the teams qualified either through their place in the ESL World Ranking or through regional qualifiers.
No team has direct qualification to the playoffs, meaning everyone will need to earn their place through the group stages.
| Team | Qualified from | Players |
|---|---|---|
| ENCE | ESL Partner Team | Snappi, dycha, maden, SunPayus, NertZ |
| FaZe | ESL Partner Team | rain, broky, Twistzz, karrigan, ropz |
| G2 Esports | ESL Partner Team | huNter-, NiKo, m0NESY, jks, HooXi |
| MOUZ | ESL Partner Team | frozen, torzsi, xertioN, siuhy, Nexius |
| NAVI | ESL Partner Team | B1ad3, b1t, Aleksib, jL, iM |
| Vitality | ESL Partner Team | apEX, ZywOo, Magisk, Spinx, flameZ |
| Cloud9 | ESL World Ranking | sh1ro, Ax1Le, HObbit, electroNic, Perfecto |
| GamerLegion | ESL World Ranking | isak, acoR, Keoz, volt, Snax |
| Monte | ESL World Ranking | Woro2k, DemQQ, kRaSnaL, sdy, br0 |
| Fnatic | ESL World Ranking | KRIMZ, mezii, roeJ, afro, dexter |
| Grayhound | Local Hero Invite | Sico, INS, aliStair, Liazz, Vexite |
| Apeks | European Qualifier | nawwk, jkaem, kyxsan, CacaNito, sense |
| BetBoom | European Qualifier | nafany, KaiR0N-, s1ren, zorte, danistzz |
| Complexity | North American Qualifer | JT, floppy, Grim, hallzerk, EliGE |
| Lynn Vision Gaming | Asian Qualifier | westmelon, z4kr, Starry, EmiliaQAQ, Jee |
| VERTEX Esports | Oceanic Qualifier | pz, BRACE, malta, ADDICT, HaZR |
- NAVI’s s1mple will not be attending due to visa issues, being replaced by their head coach B1ad3.
- MOUZ’s Jimpphat will not be attending due to visa issues, being substituted by Nexius
- Vitality’s head coach XTQZZZ will not be attending due to visa issues, with assistant coach MaT standing in.