IEM Cologne 2024: Format, schedule and more

It’s that time of the year to return to the cathedral of Counter-Strike in Cologne. With the powerhouses looking as mighty as ever, the race towards the trophy lift promises an exciting event set to kick off from the 7th of August until the 18th.

While NAVI are living up to their name as Major winners, the last year’s champions, G2, will defend their title with a revamped lineup. Opposite to the previous year’s iteration, many strong teams will enter the LANXESS Arena this time as contenders including Team Spirit, FaZe Clan, and Team Vitality.

Over a week of nonstop Counter-Strike action awaits us. But first, here's everything you need to know about the event.

IEM Cologne 2024 Event Schedule Breakdown:

• Play-in Stage: 7th August - 9th August
• Group Stage: 10th - 13th August
• Playoffs Stage: Starting the 16th August
• Grand Finals: 18th August

Teams attending and tournament format

Teams that have won past Intel Extreme Masters series and the top four teams in the ESL rankings earn a direct entry into the group stage. Additionally, sixteen other teams will compete in the play-in stage for a chance to qualify. These teams are chosen based on the ESL regional rankings, with a special qualifier reserved for German teams as local representatives.

The Play-In stage follows a double-elimination bracket format, with every match played as a best-of-three series, with four teams qualifying from both upper and lower brackets.

In the group stage, teams are divided into two groups of eight, following a double-elimination format. The winner of each group moves straight to the semifinals of IEM Cologne 2024, while the runners-up and third-place teams advance to the quarterfinals.

The playoffs consist of a single-elimination bracket, with best-of-three matches in the quarterfinals and semifinals. The Grand Final will be a best-of-five match-up instead.

Play-in stage bracket:

• Complexity vs. ALTERNATE aTTaX [August 7, 2024 - 16:30 CET]
• Eternal Fire vs. Team Falcons [August 7, 2024 - 16:30 CET]
• Heroic vs. MIBR [August 7, 2024 - 13:30 CET]
• BetBoom Team vs. 9z Team [August 7, 2024 - 13:30 CET]
• FURIA Esports vs. Imperial Esports [August 7, 2024 - 19:30 CET]
• paiN Gaming vs. Team Liquid [August 7, 2024 - 19:30 CET]
• FlyQuest vs. BIG [August 7, 2024 - 10:30 CET]
• SAW vs. The MongolZ [August 7, 2024 - 10:30 CET]

Play-in stage results:

Group A:

Group B:

Prize pool and Final Standings

The total prize pool is $1M USD with most of it going to the Champion in addition to a ticket to IEM Katowice 2025. The winnings are spread among the rest of the participants, as seen below:

How to watch IEM Cologne 2024

ESL will broadcast IEM Cologne 2024 on their main Twitch channel as well as on a secondary B stream, since the event will feature up to two simultaneous matches during the Play-in and Group Stages.

In addition to the official stream, 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 10:30 AM CET (12:30 AM ET) so be sure to set your alarm to catch all the action and stay tuned on Strafe for the latest event updates and coverage.

Featured Image source: ESL/Strafe

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