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The IEM Cologne is the top-tier event, known as the Masters Championships, with the greatest prize money, along with the one in Poland at the end of the year. As you already figured out, the ESL is in charge of organizing the IEM Cologne 2025. In addition to the IEM series, the Cologne event is a part of the ESL Grand Slam VI, which awards US$1,000,000 to the first team to win four S-Tier events run by the ESL in a 10-event span, such as an IEM Kraków, IEM Cologne, or ESL-operated CS Major Championship. The players receive this prize straight.

Where and When Will the IEM Cologne 2025 Be Held?

The IEM Cologne 2025, the second ESL Pro Tour (EPT) Championship event of the year, will run from July 23 to August 3, featuring 24 invited teams, with some starting from the stage preceding the main event.

Prior to the final six teams traveling to the LANXESS arena for the playoff bracket and the majority of the $1,000,000 prize pool—of which $400,000 will go to the players of the winning team—the event will go without the audience’s presence in the two preliminary stages.

Which Teams Will Take Part in the IEM Cologne 2025?

Team Vitality

1

apEX

2

ZywOo

3

Spinx

4

mezii

5

ropz

Team Vitality

MOUZ

1

torzsi

2

xertioN

3

Jimpphat

4

Brollan

5

Spinx

MOUZ

Team Spirit

1

chopper

2

magixx

3

zont1x

4

donk

5

sh1ro

Team Spirit

Team Falcons

1

Magisk

2

NiKo

3

TeSeS

4

kyxsan

5

degster

Team Falcons

The MongolZ

1

bLitz

2

Techno4K

3

910

4

mzinho

5

Senzu

The MongolZ

Aurora Gaming

1

XANTARES

2

MAJ3R

3

Wicadia

4

woxic

5

jottAAA

Aurora Gaming

G2 Esports

1

huNter-

2

malbsMd

3

Snax

4

HeavyGod

5

hades

G2 Esports

Natus Vincere

1

b1t

2

Aleksib

3

jL

4

iM

5

w0nderful

Natus Vincere

GamerLegion

1

sl3nd

2

ztr

3

Tauson

4

PR

5

REZ

GamerLegion

FaZe Clan

1

rain

2

broky

3

karrigan

4

frozen

5

EliGE

FaZe Clan

Astralis

1

dev1ce

2

Staehr

3

stavn

4

jabbi

5

cadiaN

Astralis

3DMAX

1

Lucky

2

Ex3rcice

3

Maka

4

Graviti

5

bodyy

3DMAX

HEROIC

1

LNZ

2

xngstxr

3

tN1R

4

TBD

5

TBD

HEROIC

Team Liquid

1

NAF

2

Twistzz

3

ultimate

4

jks

5

NertZ

Team Liquid

Virtus.pro

1

FL1T

2

fame

3

electroNic

4

FL4MUS

5

ICY

Virtus.pro

FURIA Esports

1

yuurih

2

KSCERATO

3

FalleN

4

skullz

5

molodoy

FURIA Esports

Complexity Gaming

1

JT

2

Grim

3

hallzerk

4

Cxzi

5

nicx

Complexity Gaming

TYLOO

1

JamYoung

2

Moseyuh

3

Mercury

4

Jee

5

Attacker

TYLOO

MIBR

1

exit

2

brnz4n

3

insani

4

saffee

5

Lucaozy

MIBR

B8

1

npl

2

esenthial

3

headtr1ck

4

alex666

5

kensizor

B8

Ninjas in Pyjamas

1

r1nkle

2

arrozdoce

3

ewjerkz

4

sjuush

5

Snappi

Ninjas in Pyjamas

BIG

1

tabseN

2

Krimbo

3

JDC

4

kyuubii

5

hyped

BIG

paiN Gaming

1

biguzera

2

nqz

3

snow

4

dav1deuS

5

TBD

paiN Gaming

FlyQuest

1

INS

2

Liazz

3

Vexite

4

regali

5

nettik

FlyQuest

Load more

First stage:

• GamerLegion
• FaZe Clan
• Astralis
• 3DMAX
• HEROIC
• Team Liquid
• Virtus.pro
• FURIA
• Complexity
• TYLOO
• MIBR
• B8
• Ninjas in Pyjamas
• BIG
• PaiN Gaming
• FlyQuest

Second stage:

• Team Vitality
• MOUZ
• Team Spirit
• Team Falcons
• The MongolZ
• Aurora Gaming
• G2 Esports
• Natus Vincere

Features of the IEM Cologne 2025

Sixteen teams, all starting in the Upper Bracket, will kick off in a Double-Elimination Bo3 Play-In (July 23–25). The Group Stage is reached by the top eight teams.

The teams will be divided into two groups of eight each for the Group Stage (July 26–30), which will kick off the main event as usual. Only the top three teams from each group will be able to play live in the arena for the Playoffs, after having to navigate a slightly more lenient double-elimination Bo3 GSL bracket.

Since the Playoffs (August 1–3) seeding will be determined by the group placement, winning groups is essential. The winning team from each group will get to skip all the terrifying parts and enter the Semifinals on a much smoother path. To have a chance to advance to the Bo5 Grand Final, however, those farther down will need to play more games and face more opponents. Group Stage third-place teams go to the Quarterfinals as the Low Seeds, while runners-up go to the Quarterfinals as the High Seeds.

Who’ll Win the IEM Cologne 2025?

Teams like Vitality, FaZe, MOUZ, Spirit, and NAVI are frequently mentioned as serious contenders based on their recent performance and prior accomplishments, although it is impossible to declare favorites for IEM Cologne 2025 at this early stage. Teams like the Falcons and G2 are also anticipated to be formidable competitors.

You must choose a trustworthy online sportsbook that accepts CS2 (Counter-Strike 2) bets in order to bet on CS2 matches at IEM Cologne 2025. To comprehend the matches and participating teams, you should also review the tournament’s specific format.

During the finals, IEM (Intel Extreme Masters) Counter-Strike events frequently attract over a million viewers, demonstrating their popularity. In particular, with about 1.3 million spectators, IEM Katowice 2025 broke the previous record for the highest number of viewers at a non-Major Counter-Strike competition.

Astralis, which will be among the Play-In teams in Cologne, hold the record for the most Major titles with four.

You can watch the main streams on YouTube and Twitch, with the secondary streams also available on the ESLCSb Twitch channel.

Pros and Cons of the IEM Cologne 2025 Favorites