The upcoming release of CS2 and the mad off-season roster reshuffles are still the major talking points surrounding the Counter-Strike community right now. However, there are still plenty of events and tournaments on the horizon that shouldn’t fly too far underneath the radar.
IEM Cologne is one of the most prestigious events in Counter-Strike history, having housed Major Championships and being an annual ever-present on the competitive calendar ever since CS:GO’s launch over a decade ago. The first S-Tier event following the player break, join us here at Gamelevate as we run you through everything you need to know about IEM Cologne 2023, including the dates, team list, format and prize pool!
When Is IEM Cologne 2023?
IEM Cologne will begin with 16 teams competing in the Play-In Stage between 25th – 26th of July 2023.
The main tournament will be hosted from 27th July – 6th August 2023.
IEM Cologne 2023 Format
As we mentioned above, IEM Cologne will kick off with 16 teams competing for 8 spots in the main tournament.
These 8 qualified sides from the Play-In will join the 8 sides already confirmed in the main tournament that secured their positions on the back of their global ranking or performances in previous events.
The winners of the tournament will automatically qualify for IEM Katowice 2024, and pick up 3,000 points for the BLAST Premier Circuit.
Here’s the full IEM Cologne 2023 format already confirmed by ESL:
- Play-In:
- Double-Elimination bracket
- Opening matches are Bo1
- All following matches are Bo3
- The top eight teams advanced to the Group Stage
- Double-Elimination bracket
- Group Stage:
- Two double-elimination format Groups
- Each group has eight teams
- All matches are Bo3
- The top three teams from each group advance to the Playoffs:
- Group stage winners advance to the Semifinals
- Group stage runners-up advance to the Quarterfinals as the High Seeds
- Group stage 3rd place teams advance to the Quarterfinals as the Low Seeds
- Two double-elimination format Groups
- Playoffs:
- Single-Elimination bracket
- The Quarterfinals & Semifinals are Bo3
- The Grand Final is Bo5
Where Is The Event?
As per previous tournaments, IEM Cologne will unsurprisingly take place in the German city of Cologne, in the west of the country.
The LANXESS Arena will once again house the tournament’s playoff stage where a packed-out arena of 20,000 fans will be able to cheer on their favourite sides.
What Maps Will Be Played At The Tournament?
Speculation is running rife about which maps will be ported over to CS2’s competitive map pool when it launches however, for the time being, CS:GO’s official map pool is still in place for IEM Cologne. The following maps will be played at the tournament:
- Ancient
- Anubis
- Inferno
- Mirage
- Nuke
- Overpass
- Vertigo
IEM Cologne 2023 Team List
Starting with the play-in teams, here are all the sides that will be attending Cologne with the hopes of going all the way:
Play-In Teams
- Fnatic
- paiN Gaming
- Monte
- Ninjas in Pyjamas
- FORZE Esports
- Astralis
- Into The Breach
- MOUZ
- Apeks
- 9INE
- FURIA Esports
- Team Liquid
- Imperial Esports
- The MongolZ
- Grayhound Gaming
- BIG Academy
Directly Qualified Teams
- G2 Esports
- FaZe Clan
- Team Vitality
- ENCE
- Heroic
- Cloud9
- Natus Vincere (NAVI)
- GamerLegion
IEM Cologne 2023 Prize Pool
A $1,000,000 prize pool is on offer for those participating in IEM Cologne 2023. The winning side will receive the lion’s share of this massive sum, netting $400,000 for winning the event.
Who’s Going To Win Cologne?
As with any event in CS:GO, especially those taking place immediately after a player break and so many reshuffles in personnel, predicting who will be taking the crown at Cologne is not an easy task.
Heroic’s status as the world’s number one ranked side sees them priced as the early favourites, however, the likes of Cloud9 and NAVI are both equally good shouts for a deep run in the competition.
For those interested in esports betting in Canada and eager to back one of their own, Twistzz and FaZe Clan are still a solid bet, even if their form in 2023 hasn’t quite lived up to what we saw in 2022.
Finally, Team Vitality won the final Major in CS:GO history back at BLAST Paris, and definitely have the capabilities to keep their hot streak going. The controversial dismissal of Dupreeh might have destabilised things a bit, but their acquisition of flameZ is sure to give them an added injection of firepower that will pay off for them in the long run.
