top of page

IEM Cologne Kicks Off July 23: Format, Schedule, Teams, and Everything You Need To Know

  • Writer: Danyal Arabi
    Danyal Arabi
  • Jul 23
  • 2 min read

A month on from the Blast.tv Austin Major, S-tier CS is back with IEM Cologne. 24 of the top teams will be battling for the coveted IEM Cologne trophy. With $1,222,000 on the line, teams like FaZe and Team Falcons have made roster moves to topple Team Vitality from the top spot. Eight contenders will also be rising to the challenge from the play-in stage. Here's the full format.



Broky Returns to FaZe Clan Ahead of IEM Cologne 2025, Vitality Remain Favorites

Credit: @FaZeEsports on X
Credit: @FaZeEsports on X

The tournament kicks off with the play-in stage featuring 16 teams. From July 23 to July 25, these teams will compete in a best-of-three, double-elimination bracket to determine the top 8 that will advance to the group stage. Out of the play-in teams, all eyes are on FaZe Clan, a team that has been shaky this year. Here are all the play-in teams:


  1. FaZe Clan

  2. Astralis

  3. B8 Esports

  4. Virtus.pro

  5. BIG Clan

  6. Team Liquid

  7. paiN Gaming

  8. Complexity

  9. GamerLegion

  10. FlyQuest

  11. Furia

  12. Tyloo

  13. Ninjas in Pyjamas

  14. Heroic

  15. MIBR

  16. 3DMAX


IEM Cologne 2025 Group Stage Format and Teams



The eight promoted teams from the play-in stage will meet the following contenders in the group stage:


  1. Team Vitality

  2. Team Falcons

  3. The MongolZ

  4. G2

  5. Mouz

  6. NAVI

  7. Aurora Gaming

  8. Team Spirit


These 16 teams will then be split into two groups of eight and compete in another best-of-three, double-elimination bracket that will take place from July 26 to July 29. The top 8 teams from here will advance to the playoffs and the main stage of the LANXESS arena. The top three teams from each group advance to the playoffs in different spots:

  • Teams finishing in first place directly advance to the Semifinals

  • Second-place finishers advance to the Quarterfinals as the high seeds

  • 3rd place teams advance to the Quarterfinals as the Low Seeds



The playoffs will take place from August 1 to August 3, and will follow a single-elimination bracket. All games are best-of-threes, except for the Grand Final, which will be a best-of-five. Here's the prize pool distribution:


  • 1st - $400,000

  • 2nd - $180,000

  • 3rd-4th - $80,000

  • 5th-6th - $40,000

  • 7th-8th - $24,000

  • 9th-12th - $16,000

  • 13th-16th - $10,000

  • 17th-20th - $4,500

  • 21st-24th - $2,500


With Overpass coming into the map pool, a wrench has been thrown into the works at IEM Cologne. Out of the map pool for multiple years, Overpass presents an opportunity for underdog teams to roll the dice on a map that most teams aren't that well prepared for. Catch all the action live at the ESL Counter Strike Twitch and YouTube Channels.


bottom of page