Abstract. This study evaluates the simulation of relationship between intraseasonal tropical variability (ITV) and El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) in 23 models from the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP) phase 5 (CMIP5) in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Fifth Assessment Report (AR5). As a first step, the models' skill in simulating ENSO diversity is assessed, which indicates that 16 models among 23 are able to simulate realistically the statistics of the relative size of two types of El Niño. The characteristics of the ITV are then documented revealing that only five models (CMCC-CM, CCSM4, BNU-ESM, INMCM4 and MIROC5) simulate realistically the parameters crucial for proper reproducing of ITV contribution to the El Niño, in particular the total variability, seasonal cycle and propagation along the equator of Madden-Julian oscillation (MJO) and convectively coupled equatorial Rossby waves (ER). At last step the ITV/ENSO relationship in the models are analyzed and compared to observation. It is shown that the key aspects of this interaction such as phase lag between ITV peak activity and El Niño peak and longitude localization of maximum correlation between ITV and ENSO is realistically simulated by CMCC-CM and MIROC5 for MJO and CMCC-CM and INMCM4 for equatorial Rossby waves. These models are capable to reproduce the distinct MJO and ER behavior associated to the two El Niño flavors. Aforementioned models may be used for the investigation of the sensitivity of the ITV/ENSO seasonal dependence to global warming.