The Intel Extreme Masters is dropping fan voting for its 11th season, instead opting for full eight-team tournaments where teams will either be invited or qualify via the League of Legends World Championship, IEM Oakland and IEM Gyeonggi.
Oakland and Gyeonggi with have at least one team from each of the five major regions (North America, Europe, South Korea, China, and Taiwan), as well as the International Wildcard region (Latin America North and South, Brazil, Japan, Turkey and more). In its announcement, IEM says it will release more information on the qualification and invitation system next week.
Last year's IEM San Jose and Cologne showcased six-team formats with teams gaining entrance via a mix of fan voting and invitations. This led into an eight-team World Championship at the end of the season in Katowice, Poland. SK Telecom T1 took home first place.
The League of Legends World Championship, which starts Sept. 29 and runs until Oct. 29, will identify the first qualified team or teams. IEM Oakland kicks off Nov. 19.
