Image: ESL
This will mark the first time that Counter-Strike 2 will be played in the Cathedral of Counter-Strike.
Counter-Strike 2 (CS2) action will be making its grand debut at the iconic ‘Cathedral of Counter-Strike’ at the LANXESS Arena for the Intel Extreme Masters (IEM) Cologne 2024 this coming August.
IEM Cologne 2024 will feature 24 of the best CS2 teams in the world battling for their cut of a $1 million prize pool and a spot in the BLAST Premier World Final in November. The 24 participating teams in IEM Cologne 2024 feature eight teams who have been directly qualified to the tournament proper and 16 others who will have to go through the Play-In stage first.
The eight directly-qualified teams include the winners of the four Intel Grand Slam Season 5 events so far as well as four other teams in the Top 8 of the ESL World Ranking. These eight teams include:
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Team Spirit (IEM Katowice 2024 winner)![]()
FaZe Clan (IEM Chengdu 2024 winner)![]()
MOUZ (ESL Pro League Season 19 winner)![]()
G2 Esports (IEM Dallas 2024 winner)![]()
Team Vitality (ESL World Ranking #4)![]()
Natus Vincere (ESL World Ranking #5)![]()
Astralis (ESL World Ranking #7)![]()
Virtus.pro (ESL World Ranking #8)
Team Spirit
FaZe Clan
MOUZ
G2 Esports
Team Vitality
Natus Vincere
Astralis
Virtus.proMeanwhile, the 16 teams starting in the Play-In stage include teams outside of the Top 8 of the ESL World Ranking from different regions as well as one winner from the tournament’s online German qualifier. These 16 teams include:
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Heroic (ESL World Ranking Europe)![]()
Eternal Fire (ESL World Ranking Europe)![]()
Team Falcons (ESL World Ranking Europe)![]()
compLexity Gaming (ESL World Ranking North America)![]()
9z Team (ESL World Ranking South America)![]()
The MongolZ (ESL World Ranking Asia)![]()
FlyQuest (ESL World Ranking Oceania)![]()
Team Liquid (ESL World Ranking Global)![]()
Imperial Esports (ESL World Ranking Global)![]()
FURIA Esports (ESL World Ranking Global)![]()
BIG (ESL World Ranking Global)![]()
BetBoom Team (ESL World Ranking Global)![]()
paiN Gaming (ESL World Ranking Global)![]()
MIBR (ESL World Ranking Global)![]()
SAW (ESL World Ranking Global)![]()
ALTERNATE aTTaX (Online Qualifier Germany)
Heroic
Eternal Fire
Team Falcons
compLexity Gaming
9z Team
The MongolZ
FlyQuest
Team Liquid
Imperial Esports
FURIA Esports
BIG
BetBoom Team
paiN Gaming
MIBR
SAW
ALTERNATE aTTaXIEM Cologne 2024 format and prize pool breakdown
IEM Cologne 2024 will take place from 7 to 18 August, starting with the Play-In stage. The teams in the Play-In will go through a double-elimination bracket, where the Top 8 teams will advance to the tournament proper.
IEM Cologne 2024’s Group Stage will then follow, which will divide the 16 qualified teams into two groups of eight teams battling it out in a double-elimination GSL format. The Top 3 teams from each group will advance to the Playoffs.
The Playoffs will be a single-elimination bracket where all matches will be a best-of-three except for the grand finals, which will be a full best-of-five series.
IEM Cologne 2024 will award its winner with the grand prize of $400,000 out of its $1 million prize pool. The champions will also automatically qualify for the BLAST Premier World Final and IEM Katowice 2025. Here’s the full prize pool breakdown for IEM Cologne 2024:
- 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
