This Wednesday, the Intel Extreme Masters Counter-Strike: Global Offensive World Championship proceedings begin. Twelve top CS:GO teams will meet in Katowice, Poland and fight for an incredible US$250,000 prize pool as well as the all-important Intel Extreme Masters World Championship title - but only one will prevail. Find out what’s what, who’s who and get ready for one of the biggest CS:GO events of the year with our handy survival guide!

Key information

• Where? The Spodek arena, Katowice, Poland
• When? 3rd to the 5th of March 2016
• Homepage: Intel Extreme Masters homepage
• Stream: http://www.twitch.tv/esl_csgo
• Twelve of the world’s best Counter-Strike: Global Offensive teams will face off in Katowice to try and seize the title as well as their share of a US$250,000 prize pool

Participating teams

The following top CS:GO teams will be competing at the Intel Extreme Masters World Championship in Katowice:

• Team EnVyUs
• Virtus.pro
• Natus Vincere
• Ninjas in Pyjamas
• Luminosity Gaming
• FaZe
• Fnatic
• Astralis
• The MongolZ
• E-Frag
• mousesports
• Tempo Storm

Broadcast team

Meet the experienced broadcast team who’ll be there live in Katowice to take you through all the CS:GO action:

• Host: Will "Chobra" Cho
• Sideline Reporter: OJ Borg
• Analyst Desk Host: Matt "Sadokist" Trivett
• Analyst: Janko "YNK" Paunovic
• Commentator: Lauren "Pansy" Scott
• Commentator: Alex "Machine" Richardson
• Commentator: Anders Blume
• Commentator: Auguste "Semmler" Massonnat
• Commentator: Henry "HenryG" Greer
• Commentator: Jason "Moses" O'Toole
• Observers: Alex Rush and Heather "Sapphire" Garozzo

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Schedule

Take a look at our mini Intel Extreme Masters CS:GO World Championship schedule below!

DAY ONE (Wednesday, 2nd of March 2016)

• From ~12:00 CET: Group A matches (backstage)

DAY TWO (Thursday, 3rd of March 2016)

• From ~12:00 CET: Group B matches (backstage)

DAY THREE (Friday, 4th of March 2016)

• ~12:30 CET: Quarterfinal one
• ~15:50 CET: Quarterfinal two
• ~19:10 CET: Semifinal one
• ~22:30 CET: Semifinal two

DAY FOUR (Saturday, 5th of March 2016)

• ~18:00 CET: Grand final

Please note that some match start and finish times may vary, plus you can find the full schedule - including match times in your local time zone - here.

ESL Fantasy

Fancy demonstrating your knowledge of the CS:GO scene and winning yourself some ESL Shop vouchers? Make sure you sign up for ESL Fantasy for the Intel Extreme Masters CS:GO World Championship in Katowice! Join the public league and face off against thousands of other fans or set up a private league with your friends - the choice is yours. Check out the rules in full here and good luck!

Sign up for ESL Fantasy CS:GO here!

Team previews

With the event ticking ever closer, we’ve been taking a look at some of the teams who’ll be competing in the Intel Extreme Master CS:GO World Championship in Katowice - who will you be cheering for?

• Maikelele and his crew to conquer Katowice under the FaZe Clan banner?
• Ninjas in Pyjamas return to Katowice with a new face on the team
• The biggest hope of the American CS:GO scene: can Luminosity Gaming claim victory at Intel Extreme Masters Katowice?
• Always among the best: can Astralis climb to the very top at Intel Extreme Masters World Championship in CS:GO?
• Will Team EnVyUs make us raise our baguettes at Intel Extreme Masters World Championship in Katowice?
• Fnatic return to the land they’ve conquered before: can they do it again?
• Can Virtus.pro stand victorious in front of their home crowd at Intel Extreme Masters World Championship?
• Can Natus Vincere break the curse in Katowice this year?
• Can the four Davids take on the eight Goliaths in the Intel Extreme Masters World Championship in CS:GO?

Social media

For all the latest Intel Extreme Masters CS:GO World Championship updates, make sure you’re following the below social media accounts:

• Intel Extreme Masters Facebook page
• Intel Extreme Masters Twitter account
• ESL CS:GO Facebook page
• ESL CS:GO Twitter
• Intel Extreme Masters hashtag: #IEM

Whether you’re joining us online via Twitch or in person, we hope you enjoy the show!