The final taste of elite-level Counter-Strike action before the tournament break is about to be served up in Germany as IEM Cologne is set to commence on Tuesday, with teams fighting for a $1,000,000 prize pool from July 5-17.
Only six teams will make it to the Cathedral
A total of 24 teams will be vying for not just a share of that money, but to engrave their name in history as a champion in the Cathedral of Counter-Strike, one of the most iconic venues and tournaments in the calendar that has played host to heroics and heartbreak since 2014.
Team list
The tournament will kick off with 16 teams in the Play-In as they fight to advance through to the main group stage, with a total of eight spots up for grabs. Favorites to make it through include Vitality, BIG, Outsiders, and Astralis, as well as two teams debuting with their new players in Heroic and Spirit, who will play their first event with Jakob “jabbi” Nygaard and Igor “w0nderful” Zhdanov, respectively.
In the main event, some of the best teams in the world await, preparing for a bloody battle over the title in what looks to be a wide-open race that could go the way of at least four different teams. Included among those names are FaZe, ENCE, Cloud9, and Natus Vincere, the last of whom will once again field Viktor “sdy” Orudzhev as they look to close out the season on a high note before finalizing their roster for the second half of the year.
Liquid are also an enticing prospect and all eyes will be on them as Mareks “YEKINDAR” Gaļinskis arrives to stand-in as a replacement for Richard “shox” Papillon, offering the North American side a massive boost in firepower and making them a dangerous dark horse that could upset en route to fighting for the crown.
Below, you can find the complete team list for IEM Cologne:
Play-In
Group stage
Schedule
After eight teams advance through the Play-In stage, the main event will get underway with a double-elimination bracket divided into two groups. Only the opening round of the Play-In will feature best-of-one matches, with series play taking over for the remainder of the event that will culminate with a best-of-five grand final.
The complete schedule can be found below:
Tuesday, July 5
11:00 –
Heroic vs.
Sprout (BO1)
11:00 –paiN (BO1)
11:00 –Spirit vs.
Complexity (BO1)
12:15 –
12:40 –BIG vs.
ORDER (BO1)
12:40 –
13:30 –Movistar Riders (BO1)
14:20 –TYLOO vs.
Vitality (BO1)
14:45 – Play-In upper bracket quarter-final #1 (BO3)
16:00 – Play-In upper bracket quarter-final #2 (BO3)
16:00 – Play-In lower bracket round 1 #1 (BO3)
18:15 – Play-In upper bracket quarter-final #3 (BO3)
19:45 – Play-In upper bracket quarter-final #4 (BO3)
19:45 – Play-In lower bracket round 1 #2 (BO3)
Wednesday, July 6
12:30 – Play-In lower bracket round 1 #3 (BO3)
12:30 – Play-In lower bracket round 1 #4 (BO3)
16:00 – Play-In lower bracket round 2 #1 (BO3)
16:00 – Play-In lower bracket round 2 #2 (BO3)
19:30 – Play-In lower bracket round 2 #3 (BO3)
19:30 – Play-In lower bracket round 2 #4 (BO3)
Thursday, July 7
12:30 –
12:30 –NIP vs. TBD (BO3)
16:00 –Natus Vincere vs. TBD (BO3)
16:00 –
19:30 –
19:30 –
Friday, July 8
12:30 –
12:30 –
16:00 – Group A upper bracket semi-final #1 (BO3)
16:00 – Group A lower bracket round 1 #1 (BO3)
19:30 – Group A upper bracket semi-final #2 (BO3)
19:30 – Group A lower bracket round 1 #2 (BO3)
Saturday, July 9
12:30 – Group B lower bracket round 1 #1 (BO3)
12:30 – Group B lower bracket round 1 #2 (BO3)
16:00 – Group B upper bracket semi-final #1 (BO3)
16:00 – Group B upper bracket semi-final #2 (BO3)
19:30 – Group A lower bracket semi-final #1 (BO3)
19:30 – Group A lower bracket semi-final #2 (BO3)
Sunday, July 10
12:30 – Group B lower bracket semi-final #1 (BO3)
12:30 – Group B lower bracket semi-final #2 (BO3)
16:00 – Group A upper bracket final (BO3)
16:00 – Group A lower bracket final (BO3)
19:30 – Group B upper bracket final (BO3)
19:30 – Group B lower bracket final (BO3)
Friday, July 15
15:30 – Quarter-final #1 (BO3)
19:00 – Quarter final #2 (BO3)
Saturday, July 16
15:30 – Semi-final #1 (BO3)
19:00 – Semi-final #2 (BO3)
Sunday, July 17
16:00 – Grand Final (BO5)
Talent
A total of 21 broadcast talent members will be on hand over the course of the event to bring the action to life, including ten commentators and a full-force analyst desk with some of the best names in the industry on hand. Tres “stunna” Saranthus and Eefje “sjokz” Depoortere will head up the desk on the main stream in rotating shifts, while Jasmine “Veracity” Kanuga will take charge of things for the secondary stream.
The broadcast talent for the official English streams are as follows:
Eefje “sjokz” Depoortere – Desk host
Jasmine “Veracity” Kanuga – Desk host
Sudhen “Bleh” Wahengbam – Analyst
Mathieu “Maniac” Quiquerez – Analyst
Janko “YNk” Paunović – Analyst
