From January 19 to 22, the next leg of the Intel Extreme Masters Global Challenge will take place in Kiev, Ukraine for games that include Counter-Strike, League of Legends, and StarCraft II.
For SC2, sixteen players from all around the world will compete in this four-day event for a $21,000 prize pool and a chance to compete in the World Championship in Hanover, Germany on March 6 to close off IEM Season VI.
4 Korean progamers to set the bar
Four players will represent Korea -- Team Liquid's Zenio and HerO, SlayerS_MMA, and Swedish pro QuanticNaniwa, who is currently living in the StarTale team house.
American presence
Complexity Gaming's qxc will replace DDE. He will be joined by Dignitas' KiLLeR to represent the Americas.
Europeans to defend Ukrainian soil
Seven players have qualified to represent Europe, namely DIMAGA, NightEnd, TitaN, Grubby, Feast, HasuObs, and Pomi. The host nation itself will be represented by the national champion, EmpireKas.
SEA/ANZ to be rep'd by a Norwegian
TargA is a Australia-based Norwegian player who got a spot by recommendation from the SEA/ANZ SC2 community. Previously, he had won the Australian qualifier for the IPL 4 Pacific Qualifiers, but wasn't able to go due to university exams. This time, he gets a chance to show his skills on an international stage.
No China in this one
China ended up with no representative for this event, especially since the event coincides with the Chinese New Year, so Ukrainian Terran player Strelok was called on to fill that spot, being next in line from the European qualifiers.
Player List
This tournament shall feature four groups in pool play, then top two of each group will compete in the Ro8 single elimination playoffs until a winner emerges.
| Group A | Group B | Group C | Group D |
 NightEnd Killer NaNiwa TitaN |
 Strelok GrubbyKas Zenio |
 HasuObsMMAPomi TargA |
DIMAGA FeastHerO qxc |
Prize Pool
Offering $21,000 spread among all players as follows:
1st - $6,500
2nd - $3,300
3rd - $1,750
4th - $1,250
5-8th - $800
9-12th - $650
13-16th - $600
Next up for IEM is the event in Sao Paulo, Brazil on February 6, a month before the World Championship.
