Top Players Heading Into IEM Cologne 2024 Playoffs

Six of the best Counter-Strike 2 (CS2) teams in the world are competing for their share of the $1 million prize pool at the Cathedral of Counter-Strike in the IEM Cologne 2024 playoffs. 

Our very own Alexandra Hobbs will be in attendance. The event runs from 16 to 18 August 2024, and we simply can't wait to see who lifts the coveted trophy in Cologne, Germany. While we wait for the action to begin, let's check out the best players of the event so far!

Below you can find a table listing the top seven CS2 players based on IEM Cologne 2024 performances thus far via the event's HLTV stats, alongside their teams and number of maps played.

It appears that adding Guatemalan rifler Mario "malbsMd" Samayoa to their roster in the off-season really did the trick for G2 Esports. The squad has four of their five players in the top seven of IEM Cologne 2024, and NAVI has four heading into the playoffs. That's no small feat, especially since the likes of Robin "ropz" Kool and Mathieu "ZywOo" Herbaut didn't even make the cut!

Honorable mention goes out to Team Liquid's AWPer, Roland "ultimate" Tomkowiak, who's in eighth place with a 1.30 Rating despite being sent packing. It's a fantastic first IEM event for the Polish youngster.

ESL also shared the top five players following the IEM Cologne 2024 Group Stage, noting how there is only a 0.6 Rating difference between first and fifth place. 

Just 0.6 rating separates the top 5 players remaining in #IEM Cologne 2024 🤏

🥇@G2NiKo 1.44 Rating
🥈@iMeCSGO 1.43 Rating
🥉@b1tcs 1.42 Rating
4️⃣@G2m0NESY 1.39 Rating
5️⃣@G2malbsMd 1.38 Rating pic.twitter.com/tG1gz9KqRM

— ESL Counter-Strike (@ESLCS) August 14, 2024

It will be very interesting to see if Nikola "NiKo" Kovač can keep up the pace and top the leaderboard. Will a Rifler or an AWPer walk away from the IEM Cologne 2024 MVP award? We can't wait to find out!

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