G2 rose to second place in the ESL rankings after winning IEM Katowice 2023.

After the rating update, Heroic kept the first position, G2 rose three places to the second place, and Liquid fell to the third place. Outside the top 3, there were also a considerable number of changes: FaZe dropped to fifth place, NAVI rose to sixth, and FURIA dropped out of the top 10, falling to twelfth place. The biggest change in the rating is the IHC position. The Mongols climbed 26 places and are now in the 18th position.

What is the ESL rating for?

The ESL rating not only determines the best teams at the organizer's tournaments but is also important because it helps clubs receive invitations to major ESL events.

For example, 15 teams from the ESL ranking will participate in IEM Cologne 2023 and will enter the tournament only by being in the top places of the ranking. Three teams will enter the main stage immediately, while the rest will go to the Play-In. At the same time, the last places at the event will be given to the best teams of the regional rating. If IHC performs well at ESL Pro League Season 17, we will see two teams from Asia in Cologne.

Why did IHC soar?

The Mongolian team rose by as many as 26 places in one rating update - this is an unprecedented result. So how did the Asian team manage to do it?

IHC needed only one tournament to enter the top 20 of the ESL ranking, but it cannot be said that this tournament was easy for the Mongolians. The team started IEM Katowice from the Play-In stage, and already at this stage, they managed to knock out the favorite. Then, in the match for entry into the main stage, the Mongolian team defeated FURIA and advanced to the group stage.

However, this was not the end of the road for IHC. In the group stage of IEM Katowice 2023, the team knocked out Cloud9 with a score of 2-0, which became one of the primary sensations of the tournament. The Mongols were eliminated from the tournament after the next match and took 9-12th place in the tier-1 tournament, which was the highest result in the team's history, and it raised IHC in the ESL rankings. It will be interesting to watch the club at ESL Pro League Season 17.

Related: Why are IHC Feared And Respected at Tier-1 Tournaments?

When will the next ESL tournament be held?

The following ESL event will be the ESL Pro League Season 17, held from February 22 to March 26 in Malta. The prize pool of the tournament will be $850,000.