Throughout the years, the Intel Extreme Masters series has always been a reliable source of the finest competitive CS:GO. Accordingly, the 2020 IEM XV Global Challenge is coming up and we’re incredibly excited. Read on and we’ll let you know how to watch it the right way!
Event Background
Kicking things off, let’s first dive into what the Intel Grand Slam stands for. Organized by ESL and DreamHack though a sponsorship by Intel, a total of $1,000,000 are on the line to reward domination. Indeed, two claim the prize, it takes any team to win 4 out of 10 S-Tier events. This comes together with spoiling rewards too. Currently, a tonne of teams are tie with 1 victory – this is another opportunity!
Specifically for this event, 8 teams have been invited to compete for the majority of the $500,000 prize pool. The 2020 IEM XV Global Challenge will be ending the year with a bang, running from the 15th to the 20th December. Hailing from all over the world, here are 8 of the best competitive CS:GO teams in the world:
- Heroic – DreamHack Open Fall EU Winners
- FURIA Esports – IEM New York NA Winners
- Team Vitality – IEM Beijing-Haidian EU Winners
- Astralis – EU World Ranking
- Complexity – EU World Ranking
- Team Liquid – NA World Ranking
- Natus Vincere – CIS World Ranking
- BIG – EU World Ranking
Besides the IEM Grand Slam and the prize pool, Blast Premier points are also on the line too.
Format
The entire event will be split into two stages. To begin with, a Group Stage will sort out the 8 teams into two groups of 4. These groups will take place through a typical GSL format, with a double–elimination format.
Here’s how the groups have been split:
Group A
- Team Vitality
- Complexity Gaming
- Astralis
- BIG
Group B
- Heroic
- FURIA Esports
- Natus Vincere
- Team Liquid
Randomly seeded, by playing respective BO3 matches, only two teams will progress through each group.
Moving on to the Playoffs, teams will be seeded based on their performance in the group stage. This will involve a single–elimination bracket where one less sends a team home. Semifinals will have BO3 games while the Grand Final will be a BO5 experience to remember.
Schedule for the 2020 IEM XV Global Challenge
We’ve got 5 action-packed days to look forward to. Accordingly, here’s a peek at the entire schedule:
Tuesday, Dec 15th
- BIG vs Team Vitality – 12:00 (GMT+1)
- Astralis vs Complexity – 15:30 (GMT+1)
- Natus Vincere vs FURIA – 19:00 (GMT+1)
Wednesday, Dec 16th
- Team Liquid vs Heroic – 12:00 (GMT+1)
- TBD – 15:30 (GMT+1)
- TBD – 19:00 (GMT+1)
Thursday, Dec 17th
- TBD – 16:00 (GMT+1)
- TBD – 19:30 (GMT+1)
Friday, Dec 18th
- TBD – 16:00 (GMT+1)
- TBD – 19:30 (GMT+1)
Watch the 2020 IEM XV Global Challenge stream on esportsguide
You can also watch the 2020 IEM XV Global Challenge live stream via our very own website. Providing an extensive list of the biggest esports together with streams for each esports match live today or upcoming matches.
Predictions
With events like this, it’s always tough to distinguish a top contender from a pool of champions. The last event we can consult is none other than Intel Extreme Master XV – Beijing.
Looking at our European contenders,, here’s how they stacked up at the online event:
- 1st – Team Vitality
- 2nd – Natus Vincere
- 4th – Complexity Gaming
- 5-8th – Astralis, Heroic and BIG
In this last event, Team Vitality mounted a phenomenal event. Following an early loss in Group Stage, they stunned the region with a resurgence in the Playoffs. In this regard, they’re currently seen as the top dogs from the region.
What about the other invited teams?
Back in the NA region, Team Liquid has constantly been on the cusp of success. A 3-4th place finish at both the BLAST Premier: Fall 2020 Showdown and the IEM Beijing event make them a threat, though they need to work on closing out series.
On the flip side, FURIA Esports are definitely a team to watch after the recent victory at the BLAST Premier: Fall 2020 Showdown.
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