The First Female CS:GO Team to Qualify for IEM Katowice
Imperial Fe has made history by becoming the first female Counter-Strike team to qualify for IEM Katowice, a prestigious event in the ESL Pro Tour Championship.
The tournament, scheduled from January 29th to February 9th, features 24 teams vying for a portion of the impressive $1 million prize pool.
Competing alongside Imperial Fe are renowned teams like NAVI, Team Vitality, and Shanghai Major winners Team Spirit. Additionally, eight teams have secured a direct route to the group stage based on their rankings in the Valve Regional Standings (VRS).
All teams invited to the tournament were selected based on their VRS ranking as of January 6th, 2025. An interesting addition includes Team Falcons, invited for acquiring the majority roster of the eighth-placed VRS team, HEROIC.
While Imperial Fe secured the 23rd spot, another female team, FURIA Fe, achieved the 24th position. However, due to the organization’s existing team in the competition, FURIA Fe did not compete, and HEROIC, acquiring the roster from Sangal Esports, took their place.
Imperial Fe’s success has been notable since their return to women’s Counter-Strike in May 2024. Winning ESL Impact Season 6 in November 2024 was a significant achievement, bagging $50,000 in prize money.
Part of the Intel Grand Slam, IEM Katowice offers a substantial prize to the team that emerges victorious in four out of ten consecutive ESL-operated events, with the reward being $1 million.
In the previous year’s IEM Katowice, Team Spirit emerged victorious by defeating FaZe Clan in the Grand Final, and both teams will compete in the upcoming 2025 event.
IEM Katowice 2025 Participants
- G2 Esports
- Team Spirit
- The Mongolz
- Team Vitality
- FaZe Clan
- MOUZ
- NAVI
- Team Falcons
- Team Liquid
- FURIA Esports
- Pain Gaming
- MIBR
- 3DMAX
- Eternal Fire
- GamerLegion
- Complexity
- SAW
- BIG
- FlyQuest
- Astralis
- Wildcard Gaming
- Virtus.Pro
- Imperial Fe
- HEROIC
IEM Katowice has been a staple esports event since 2007, taking place in Katowice, Poland, with the playoffs held at the Spodek Arena, accommodating up to 11,000 spectators. The tournament, sponsored by Intel, has expanded with events across Europe and North America.
While Counter-Strike remains the primary focus, IEM has previously hosted StarCraft II tournaments. The confirmation regarding a StarCraft II tournament at IEM Katowice 2025 is yet to be announced by ESL FACEIT Group.