IEM Sydney groups and first round matchups announced

The groups and first round of matchups for IEM Sydney, set to run from April 29th - May 5th, have been announced. 

Also read: eUnited granted Swole Patrol's IEM Sydney spot following acquisition of core

The tournament will utilize ESL's standard format, with the upper bracket finals winner of each group advancing directly to the semifinals. The second and third place teams from the two groups will earn places in the quarterfinals. Only the opening round of matches will be played as best-of-ones, with the remainder of games utilizing best-of-threes.

Liquid and FaZe have earned the top seed in Groups A and B, respectively, with each group being composed of eight teams. Alongside Liquid in Group A are eUnited and Renegades, with a number of European teams making up the majority of remaining slots. MIBR and NRG have been placed in Group B, with the two teams on opposite sides of the bracket.

Also read: NRG look to overpower the opposition at IEM Sydney

The two groups for the event look as follows:

Group A
Liquid	vs.	B.O.O.T.-d[S]
mousesports	vs.	BIG
Ninjas in Pyjamas	vs.	eUnited
MVP PK	vs.	Renegades
Group B
FaZe	vs.	Chiefs
ViCi	vs.	NRG
fnatic	vs.	Heroic
Grayhound	vs.	MIBR

IEM Sydney 2019 is set to commence on April 29th, with the first two matchups of Group A kicking off at 10 PM EDT.

Also read: MIBR pick up IEM Sydney invite; NA Closed Qualifier bracket released