CS 2
CS:GO, the game that never stops delivering, and with all its excitement and glory, is returning to Cologne for a final stop before embarking on a new journey in CS2.
The Cathedral of Counter-Strike will be the destination in these upcoming days to experience the thrill and enjoyment of every frag as the action unfolds in front of thousands of fans, cheering as loud as a lion’s roar.
IEM Cologne will run from July 26 to August 6. The Play-In and Group Stage matches will be played without spectators, but the Playoffs will take place at the LANXESS arena in front of a lively crowd.
Attending teams
IEM Cologne will host 24 teams from around the world, with eight teams directly qualifying for the group stage. The remaining 16 teams will compete in the Play-In stage to secure the final eight spots in the main tournament.
ESL has announced that Complexity will replace paiN Gaming, who are unable to attend the event. FORZE are also unable to attend IEM Cologne due to visa issues and will be replaced by OG.
Group Stage:
Group Stage teams (Image Credits: Liquipedia)Play-in Teams:
- MOUZ
- APEKS
- 9INE
- FURIA
- Team Liquid
- Imperial
- The MongolZ
- Grayhound
- Fnatic
- Complexity
- Monte
- Ninjas in Pyjamas
- OG
- Into The Breach
- Astralis
- BIG
How to watch IEM Cologne 2023
IEM Cologne will be broadcasted on ESL’s Twitch channel as well as on their B stream, since the event will feature up to two simultaneous matches during the play-in and main stages.
In addition to the mainstream, several popular streamers, including Ohnepixel, fl0m, and Gaules will also be co-streaming the event on their Twitch channels, so you can enjoy both the games and live reactions from the streamers.
The action-packed matches will kick off at 1:30 PM GMT (08:30 AM ET). Two simultaneous matches will be played during the Play-in Stage, so be sure to catch the fun games.
Format, prize pool distribution
Play-in (July 26-28):
- Six Team Double Elimination
- Opening Matches are BO1
- All other Matches are BO3
- Eight Teams advanced to the main event
Group Stage (July 29-August 1):
- Two double-elimination groups of eight teams
- Top three of each group to the Playoffs
- All Matches are BO3
Playoffs (August 4-6):
- Two Teams will directly qualify to the Semifinals
- Four Teams qualify to the Quarterfinals
- All Matches are Bo3
- Grand Final is Bo5
The total prize pool is one million dollars ($1M), with most of it going to the Champion in addition to a ticket to IEM Katowice 2024. The winnings are spread among the rest of the participants, as seen below:
Prize pool distribution (Image Credits: Liquipedia)Scores, Brackets, Results
Play-in matches (Image Credits: Liquipedia)Play-in Lower Bracket Matches
Lower Bracket matches (Image Credits: Liquipedia)Group Stage
Group A
Group A results, (Image Credits: Liquipedia)Group B
Group B results, (Image Credits: Liquipedia)Playoffs
Playoffs results, (Image Credits: Liquipedia)IEM Cologne Final Standings
