IEM Sydney Qualifier set to start tonight

The qualifier for IEM Sydney 2023 is set to begin tonight at 05:30PM, with one slot up for grabs for ESL's return to the land down under. Additionally, this qualifier will decide the sole NA representative at the event as no teams were ranked high enough to notch an ESL World Ranking invite.

Among the four teams in attendance, Complexity are by far the highest-ranked squad, being the sole team currently in HLTV's top 30. They are likely seen by many as the de-facto squad to qualify as every other squad in this invent are relatively new or bringing online a new IGL. Additionally, they have the most star power with the recent addition of Jonathan "EliGE" Jablonowski.

The next highest-ranked team looking to make it to Sydney is Nouns, with the team making the closed qualifier via the ESEA Cash Cup Circuit. There are many question marks surrounding how they will perform however, as despite being the same squad from that event, they have gone through a fair share of roster changes, resulting in Carson "nosrac" O'Reilly taking over as IGL. With it being his debut tonight, expectations are high for him to deliver the team out of a tumultuous period.

The other two squads in attendance, M80 and Forsaken, came by way of the two open qualifiers. For M80, they have enjoyed strong results since their debut and making a second LAN post ESL Pro League Season 18 would be a fantastic vote of confidence for the new squad. As for Forsaken, qualifying for them is the longest shot as the least experienced and only orgless squad, however it would be a statement win for Peter "stanislaw" Jarguz and Matt "warden" Dickens to find success at this early stage.

The full schedule for the IEM Sydney 2023 Closed Qualifier is as follows:

Upper Bracket Semifinals:

• Complexity vs. Forsaken — Today 05:30PM

• M80 vs. Nouns — Today 05:30PM

Lower Bracket Semifinal:

• TBD vs. TBD — Today 09:00PM

Upper Bracket Final:

• TBD vs. TBD — Today 09:00PM

Lower Bracket Final:

• TBD vs. TBD — Friday 05:30PM

Grand Final:

• TBD vs. TBD — Friday 09:00PM