The Cathedral of Counter-Strike buzzes again as 2024’s edition of IEM Cologne arrives. Twenty-four teams descend on Germany for the lion’s share of a million dollars and the glory that comes with lifting one of the most coveted trophies in all of esports.

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It’s been an exciting start to the Counter-Strike 2 season. NAVI kicked off with a win in Riyadh at the Esports World Cup, while the rest of the top 10 battle through the BLAST Fall Groups. Many a team saw roster changes during the off-season, some of which—including Team Liquid—have already left quite an impression.

The road to the Shanghai Major shortens by the day, but IEM Cologne will see its top teams all but certainly lock in a spot in their region’s qualifier for the pinnacle event. Can G2 go back-to-back? Here’s everything you need to know about IEM Cologne 2024: Full schedule, results, streams, and more.

Contents

  • Format and teams
  • Schedule and results
    • Play-In (Aug. 7 to 9)
    • Group stage (Aug. 10 to 13)
    • Playoffs (Aug. 16 to 18)
  • Streams: How to watch

IEM Cologne 2024 format and teams

G2 Esports standing on-stage and lifting the IEM Cologne trophy in 2023 as the crowd cheers.
G2 will look to go back-to-back without captain HooXi following his departure. Photo by Helena Kristiansson via ESL

IEM Cologne is one of CS2‘s premier tournaments featuring a whopping 24 teams, three stages, and a million-dollar prize. Winners also secure a spot at Katowice 2025, the BLAST Premier World Final, an Intel Grand Slam mark, and most likely enough Valve points to book a ticket to the Shanghai Major closed qualifiers.

Eight teams will start the event in the group stage, while the remaining 16 battle through the Play-In double elimination bracket. Win two best-of-threes, and the team heads to the group stage; lose two, and they’re out.

The group stage sees the eight Play-In teams join the group stage invites and play another double-elimination bracket. The upper bracket winner heads to the semifinals; the upper bracket runner-up and the loser bracket winner both begin their playoff runs in the quarterfinals.

From there, the remaining six battle through a single-elimination playoff bracket to the trophy in the Cathedral of Counter-Strike itself, the Lanxess Arena. Here’s the qualified teams for IEM Cologne 2024 and their path to the tourney.

Qualification method Team(s)
Direct Qualification (Group stage) Team Spirit
FaZe Clan
MOUZ
G2 Esports
Vitality
NAVI
Astralis
Virtus.pro
ESL World Rankings EU: HEROIC, Eternal Fire, Falcons
North America: Complexity
South America: 9z Team
Asia: The MongolZ
Oceania: FlyQuest

Next-best ranked: Liquid, Imperial, FURIA, BIG, paiN, MIBR, SAW, 3DMAX
German Qualifier Alternate aTTaX
3DMAX replaced BetBoom due to visa issues.

IEM Cologne 2024 schedule and results

Playoffs

An image displaying the playoff bracket for IEM Cologne 2024.
Who will be crowned kings of Cologne this year? Image via ESL (X/Twitter)

All match times are in Central Time (CT).

Friday, Aug. 16

  • 8:45am: TBD vs. TBD
    • Winner proceeds to semifinal, loser is eliminated.
  • 12pm: TBD vs. TBD
    • Winner proceeds to semifinal, loser is eliminated.

Saturday, Aug. 17

  • 8:45am: TBD vs. TBD
    • Winner proceeds to grand final, loser is eliminated.
  • 12pm: TBD vs. TBD
    • Winner proceeds to grand final, loser is eliminated.

Sunday, Aug. 18

  • 10am: TBD vs. TBD
    • Grand final (best-of-five).

Group stage

All match times are in Central Time (CT).

Saturday, Aug. 10

  • 6:30am
    • Complexity 2-1 Virtus.pro
      • Complexity win 13-6 on Vertigo.
      • Virtus.pro win 16-14 on Dust 2.
      • Complexity win 13-5 on Anubis.
    • FaZe Clan 2-0 Team Liquid
      • FaZe win 13-11 on Mirage.
      • FaZe win 13-10 on Nuke.
  • 8:45am
    • 9z 0-2 Astralis
      • Astralis win 13-10 on Dust 2.
      • Astralis win 13-5 on Inferno.
  • 8:50am
    • G2 0-2 SAW
      • SAW win 13-5 on Nuke.
      • SAW win 13-10 on Inferno.
  • 11:45am
    • NAVI 2-0 paiN
      • NAVI win 13-4 on Anubis.
      • NAVI win 13-4 on Mirage.
    • MongolZ 2-0 Spirit
      • MongolZ win 16-13 on Ancient.
      • MongolZ win 13-4 on Anubis.

Sunday, Aug. 11

  • 6:30 am
    • MOUZ 2-1 Falcons
      • MOUZ win 13-6 on Nuke.
      • Falcons win 13-11 on Vertigo
      • MOUZ win 13-9 on Ancient.
    • FURIA 0-2 Vitality
      • Vitality win 13-3 on Inferno.
      • Vitality win 13-2 on Mirage.
  • 8:45am
    • NAVI 2-0 Astralis
      • NAVI win 13-4 on Ancient.
      • NAVI win 13-7 on Mirage.
      • NAVI progress to semifinals.
    • 9z 1-2 paiN
      • 9z win 13-11 on Anubis.
      • paiN win 13-8 on Dust 2.
      • paiN win 13-9 on Nuke.
  • 11:45am
    • SAW 2-1 MongolZ
      • MongolZ win 16-13 on Ancient.
      • SAW win 13-7 on Nuke.
      • SAW win 13-10 on Anubis.
      • SAW progress to playoffs.
    • G2 2-0 Spirit
      • G2 win 13-3 on Nuke.
      • G2 win 13-1 on Mirage.
      • Spirit is eliminated.

Monday, Aug. 12

  • 6:30 am
    • Virtus.pro 1-2 Falcons
      • Falcons win 13-11 on Vertigo.
      • VP win 13-8 on Mirage.
      • Falcons win 13-8 on Dust 2.
      • VP is eliminated.
    • Liquid 2-0 FURIA
      • Liquid win 16-13 on Dust 2.
      • Liquid win 13-4 on Nuke.
      • FURIA is eliminated.
  • 8:45am
    • Complexity 0-2 MOUZ
      • MOUZ win 13-9 on Vertigo.
      • MOUZ win 13-11 on Nuke.
      • MOUZ proceeds to playoffs.
    • FaZe Clan 1-2 Vitality
      • FaZe win 13-8 on Inferno.
      • Vitality win 16-12 on Dust 2.
      • Vitality win 13-9 on Anubis.
      • Vitality proceeds to playoffs.
  • 11:45am
    • MongolZ 1-2 paiN
      • MongolZ win 16-13 on Anubis.
      • paiN win 13-10 on Mirage.
      • paiN win 13-8 on Nuke.
      • MongolZ is eliminated.
    • Astralis 1-2 G2
      • G2 win 13-1 on Dust 2.
      • Astralis win 13-10 on Mirage.
      • G2 win 13-3 on Ancient.
      • Astralis is eliminated.

Tuesday, Aug. 13

  • 6:30am
    • FaZe 2-0 Falcons
      • FaZe win 16-13 on Dust 2.
      • FaZe win 13-6 on Ancient.
      • Falcons is eliminated.
    • Complexity 0-2 Liquid
      • Liquid win 13-10 on Ancient.
      • Liquid win 13-5 on Anubis.
      • Complexity is eliminated.
  • 8:45am
    • NAVI 2-1 SAW
      • SAW win 13-9 on Nuke.
      • NAVI win 13-2 on Ancient.
      • NAVI win 13-6 on Inferno.
      • NAVI proceeds to semifinals, SAW proceeds to quarterfinals.
    • paiN 0-2 G2
      • G2 win 13-6 on Nuke.
      • G2 win 13-1 on Mirage.
      • G2 proceeds to quarterfinals, paiN is eliminated.
  • 11:45am
    • MOUZ 0-2 Vitality
      • Vitality win 13-6 on Dust 2.
      • Vitality win 16-13 on Vertigo.
      • Vitality proceeds to semifinals, MOUZ proceeds to quarterfinals.
    • FaZe 2-1 Liquid
      • FaZe win 13-9 on Inferno.
      • Liquid win 16-13 on Nuke.
      • FaZe win 16-13 on Mirage.
      • FaZe proceeds to quarterfinals, Liquid is eliminated.

Play-In

All match times are in Central Time (CT).

Wednesday, Aug. 7

  • 3:30am: FlyQuest 1-2 BIG | SAW 2-1 The MongolZ
  • 6:30am: HEROIC vs. MIBR | 3DMAX 0-2 9z
  • 9:30am: Complexity 2-0 Alternate ATTAX | Eternal Fire 2-1 Falcons
  • 12:30pm: FURIA 2-1 Imperial | paiN 0-2 Liquid

Thursday, Aug. 8

  • 6:30am
    • SAW 2-1 BIG
      • BIG win 13-7 on Anubis.
      • SAW win 13-5 on Ancient.
      • SAW win 13-11 on Inferno.
      • SAW proceeds to main event.
    • FlyQuest 0-2 MongolZ
      • MongolZ win 13-8 on Anubis.
      • MongolZ win 13-4 on Ancient.
      • FlyQuest is eliminated.
  • 8:45am
    • FURIA 1-2 Liquid
      • FURIA win 13-8 on Anubis.
      • Liquid win 13-11 on Nuke.
      • Liquid win 13-7 on Mirage.
      • Liquid proceeds to main event.
    • 3DMAX 1-2 HEROIC
      • 3DMAX wins 13-5 on Anubis.
      • HEROIC wins 13-7 on Ancient.
      • HEROIC wins 13-5 on Nuke.
      • 3DMAX is eliminated.
  • 11:45am
    • Complexity 2-0 Eternal Fire
      • Complexity wins 13-9 on Vertigo.
      • Complexity wins 19-17 on Dust 2.
      • Complexity proceeds to main event.
    • Alternate aTTaX 0-2 Falcons
      • Falcons wins 13-11 on Anubis.
      • Falcons wins 13-9 on Mirage.
      • Alternate aTTaX is eliminated.

Friday, Aug. 9

  • 6:30am
    • 9z 2-0 MIBR
      • 9z wins 16-13 on Ancient.
      • 9z wins 13-2 on Nuke.
      • 9z proceeds to main event.
    • Imperial 1-2 paiN
      • Imperial wins 13-10 on Dust 2.
      • PaiN wins 13-10 on Vertigo.
      • PaiN wins 13-7 on Inferno.
      • Imperial is eliminated.
  • 8:45am
    • BIG 1-2 Falcons
      • Falcons win 13-7 on Dust 2.
      • BIG wins 13-10 on Mirage.
      • Falcons win 13-10 on Anubis.
      • Falcons proceed to main event, BIG is eliminated.
    • FURIA 2-1 HEROIC
      • FURIA wins 13-11 on Mirage.
      • HEROIC wins 13-8 on Anubis.
      • FURIA wins 13-11 on Nuke.
      • FURIA proceeds to main event, HEROIC is eliminated.
  • 11:45am
    • MIBR 1-2 paiN
      • PaiN wins 13-10 on Mirage.
      • MIBR wins 13-4 on Anubis.
      • PaiN wins 13-3 on Vertigo.
      • PaiN proceeds to main event, MIBR is eliminated.
    • MongolZ 2-1 Eternal Fire
      • Eternal Fire wins 13-4 on Anubis.
      • MongolZ wins 13-8 on Mirage.
      • MongolZ wins 16-14 on Nuke.
      • MongolZ proceeds to main event, Eternal Fire is eliminated.