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.
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.
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.
