Your Guide to IEM Cologne 2025: Format, Teams, Schedule, and Streams

IEM Cologne 2025 returns on July 23, reaffirming its place as one of the most iconic and eagerly awaited events in the Counter-Strike 2 calendar. Hosted by ESL at the legendary LANXESS Arena in Cologne, Germany—often dubbed the Cathedral of Counter-Strike—this tournament brings together elite teams from across the globe to battle it out for glory, ranking points, and a massive prize pool of $1,000,000.

In this comprehensive guide, we’ll break down the tournament’s structure, prize distribution, team lineups, and where you can catch all the action live.

Tournament Structure and Key Dates

IEM Cologne 2025 unfolds in three main stages:

Play-In Stage

Dates: July 23–25

• 16 teams compete in a double-elimination bracket
• All matches are Best-of-3 (Bo3)
• The top 8 teams progress to the Group Stage

Group Stage

Dates: July 26–29

• 16 teams split into two GSL-style groups of 8
• Top 3 from each group advance to the Playoffs

Group winners advance to the semifinals, runners-up proceed to the quarterfinals as high seeds, and third-place teams enter the quarterfinals as low seeds.

Playoffs (Live Audience at LANXESS Arena)

Dates: August 1–3

• Single-elimination bracket
• Quarterfinals & Semifinals: Bo3
• Grand Final: Bo5

Prize Pool Distribution

A total of $1,000,000 USD will be awarded based on final placement:

• 1st place: $400,000
• 2nd place: $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

An additional $250,000 Club Share will be distributed to organizations based on ESL's club contribution system, recognizing long-term commitment and audience engagement.

Who’s Playing: Participating Teams

Directly into the Group Stage (Stage 2) — 8 teams invited based on the VRS ranking as of June 2, 2025:

• Team Vitality
• MOUZ
• Team Spirit
• Team Falcons
• The MongolZ
• Aurora Gaming
• G2 Esports
• Natus Vincere (NAVI)

Play-In Stage (Stage 1) Participants — 16 teams:

• FaZe Clan
• Team Liquid
• FURIA Esports
• Complexity
• GamerLegion
• HEROIC
• 3DMAX
• Virtus.pro
• TYLOO
• MIBR
• B8
• Ninjas in Pyjamas (NIP)
• BIG
• paiN Gaming
• FlyQuest
• Astralis

The 16 Play-In teams will compete from July 23 to 25; the top 8 will advance to the Group Stage, where they will join the 8 invited teams.

Detailed team breakdown:

Where to Watch the Matches

All IEM Cologne 2025 matches will be broadcast live with multi-language commentary on the following platforms:

• Twitch.tv/ESLCS – The official ESL Twitch channel
• YouTube (ESL Counter-Strike) – Live coverage and full match VODs
• FACEIT Watch – Enhanced viewing with player POVs, live stats, and reward drops

In addition, ESL supports regional co-streams, offering localized commentary and interactive coverage. If you want to enhance your IEM Cologne 2025 viewing experience, we suggest you try xplay.gg CS2 Pick’Em. You will be able to make predictions on the outcome of IEM matches and get skins for correct predictions. The more accurate your predictions are, the higher your place in the leaderboard will be. Players from the top-100 of the leaderboard will receive the coolest rewards: skins and xcoins – the site’s currency, which can be exchanged for skins in their store.

What’s New and What to Expect

Vitality enters the tournament as the clear favorite, boasting an impressive seven S-Tier titles in their recent streak. Led by veterans apEX, ZywOo, and ropz, the team’s momentum and chemistry make them the squad to beat. However, MOUZ is not far behind — currently ranked #2 in the world, they’re coming off a strong runner-up finish at the Austin Major and are seen as serious contenders ready to challenge Vitality’s dominance.

Map pool changes also promise to impact outcomes significantly. The return of Overpass and the removal of Anubis are expected to benefit tactical squads like Astralis, NAVI, and GamerLegion, while teams such as Aurora and Heroic might struggle to adapt. Compounding the uncertainty is the wave of recent roster moves across top teams — including changes in NIP, FlyQuest, G2, NAVI, Falcons, and Spirit — which could lead to surprising performances and unexpected exits.

Lastly, the Play-In stage is shaping up to be a battleground. Teams like FaZe, Astralis, and Complexity must navigate intense best-of-three series to avoid an early elimination, setting the stage for potential upsets right from the tournament’s opening rounds.