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GINX TV > News > Counter-Strike 2

IEM Cologne 2024 Dates, Qualified Teams, & How To Watch

The top CS2 teams will be heading to IEM Cologne 2024 for their shot at a $1M prize pool.
By Alexandra Hobbs | 
First Published May 13, 2024, 11:25
IEM Cologne 2024 Dates, Qualified Teams, & How To Watch
ESL

Table of Contents

One of the biggest events in the Counter-Strike calendar is fast-approaching. IEM Cologne 2024 will see the world's best CS2 esports teams head to Germany with the hopes of securing their share of the $1 million prize pool, the second EPT Championship title of the year, and to qualify for IEM Katowice 2025. Following their success at last year's IEM Cologne, can G2 Esports claim the trophy yet again?

When Is IEM Cologne 2024?

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Teams will be competing for a $1 million prize pool. (Picture: ESL)

IEM Cologne 2024 will be taking place from Aug. 7 - Aug. 18, 2024. The live event will be held in Cologne, Germany at the Lanxess Arena on Aug. 16 - Aug. 18, 2024. The Grand Finals will be taking place on August 18, 2024. 

The Play-Ins for Cologne will be taking place from Aug. 7 - Aug. 9, 2024. 

IEM Cologne 2024 Format

There are three stages to IEM Cologne 2024: Play-Ins, Group Stage, and Playoffs.

Play-In (Aug. 7 - 9, 2024)

The following format will be in place for the Play-Ins:

  • 16 Team Double-Elimination bracket
  • Opening matches will be Best of 1
  • All other matches will be Best of 3
  • The top 8 Teams will advanced to Group Stage

Group Stage 

The following format will be in place for the Group Stage:

  • 2 x 8 Team Double-Elimination brackets
  • All matches will be Best of 3
  • The top 3 teams of each group advance to the Playoffs
  • Group stage winners advance to Semifinals
  • Group stage runners-up advance to Quarterfinals (High Seeds)
  • Group stage 3rd place teams advance to Quarterfinals (Low Seeds)

Playoffs

The following format will be in place for the Playoffs:

  • 6 Team Single-Elimination bracket
  • Quarterfinals & Semifinals will be Best of 3
  • Grand Final will be Best of 5

All Teams Qualified For IEM Cologne 2024

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FaZe Clan are your IEM Chengdu 2024 winners and have qualified for IEM Cologne 2024. (Picture: ESL)

There are 24 spots up for teams at IEM Cologne 2024. The winners of previous tournaments for this year have directly qualified and will be competing at IEM Cologne 2024:

The remaining spots have yet to be confirmed and will be determined by ESL World Rankings and the Play-In Stage. 

How To Watch IEM Cologne 2024

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Will we see another G2 victory at IEM Cologne 2024? (Picture: ESL)

Can't make it to Cologne to see the matches in-person? Thankfully, it's never been easier to watch top-level Counter-Strike no matter where you are. The easiest way is to tune into the official ESL streams on each day. 

You can catch the main event on the ESLCS Twitch channel. On days where mutliple matches are taking place at the same time, a B-stream will also be made available. 

You can also catch streams on the official ESLCS YouTube channel.

Alexandra Hobbs

Written by Alexandra Hobbs

Alex is a former Gaming and Esports Editor at DBLTAP and, after moving under the FanSided banner, took on additional editorial direction duties on AppTrigger and Forever Fortnite. You'll likely catch her lost in the middle of Tamriel in Elder Scrolls Online, or deep in a Final Fantasy playthrough. Alex also has a surprising skill for Fortnite Victory Royales though a slightly lesser mastery when it comes to Call of Duty, Warzone 2 and Apex Legends. She also has a strong love of indie games and is always excited to check out the latest weird and wonderful gem.