IEM Cologne 2025 Viewer's Guide: Dates, Format, Prize pool, Teams

IEM Cologne 2025 kicks off on July 23, 2025, once again confirming its status as one of the most prestigious and highly anticipated events in the world of Counter-Strike. The tournament is organized by ESL and will take place in Cologne, Germany, at the legendary LANXESS arena, which fans have nicknamed the “Cathedral of Counter-Strike.”

The event will feature the top 16 teams from around the world competing for a $1,000,000 prize pool, valuable ESL Pro Tour points, and, of course, the coveted champion title. The competition will include a Play-In stage, a group stage, and thrilling final matches played live in front of an audience. In this guide, we cover everything you need to know about IEM Cologne 2025 — the format, schedule, participants, and where to watch the matches.

IEM Cologne 2025 Format and Dates

The IEM Cologne 2025 tournament will take place in three stages. It begins with the Play-In stage from July 23 to 25, 2025, featuring a double-elimination format. All matches will be played as Best-of-3 (Bo3), and the top eight teams will advance to the Group Stage. The Group Stage runs from July 26 to 29, where cs 2 teams will be split into two groups of eight, using the GSL-style double-elimination format. All matches remain Bo3. The top three teams from each group will move on to the Playoffs: group winners will advance directly to the Semifinals, runners-up will enter the Quarterfinals as high seeds, and third-place teams will enter the Quarterfinals as low seeds. The final stage, the Playoffs, will take place from August 1 to 3, 2025, in a single-elimination format. The Quarterfinals and Semifinals will be played as Bo3, while the Grand Final will be a Best-of-5 (Bo5) showdown.

IEM Cologne 2025 Prize Pool

The total prize pool for IEM Cologne 2025 amounts to $1,000,000 USD, which will be distributed among all 24 participating teams based on their final placements. The tournament winner will take home $400,000, while the runner-up receives $180,000. Teams finishing in 3rd–4th place will earn $80,000 each, 5th–6th place will get $40,000, and 7th–8th place will secure $24,000. The rewards gradually decrease from $16,000 for 9th–12th, $10,000 for 13th–16th, $4,500 for 17th–20th, down to $2,500 for 21st–24th place. In addition to the player prize pool, a separate $250,000 USD club share will be distributed among organizations based on ESL’s club contribution system, which rewards long-term participation and overall viewership performance across the ESL Pro Tour.

IEM Cologne 2025 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 IEM Cologne 2025

Fans can follow IEM Cologne 2025 live on several official platforms. The main coverage is available on ESL’s official Twitch channels (such as ESLCS), where all matches are streamed with multi-language commentary to cater to a global audience. ESL’s YouTube channel also provides full live broadcasts and video-on-demand (VOD) options for those who want to catch up on past games. Additionally, FACEIT Watch offers a more interactive experience with features like player POV selection, reward drops, and Chromecast support. For those who prefer local commentary or unique perspectives, community and regional co-streams are available under ESL’s co-streaming policy, enhancing accessibility for diverse audiences.

What to Expect from the IEM Cologne 2025?

For any true Counter-Strike fan, it's no secret that Team Vitality are the clear favorites heading into the upcoming tournament. However, several Tier-1 teams have recently undergone roster changes, adding an extra layer of intrigue and excitement.

For instance, Falcons have brought in a fresh talent who's already made waves in the community — kyousuke, a former player from Spirit Academy. Meanwhile, Team Spirit made a bold move by parting ways with their long-time veteran magixx and picking up the promising young rifler zweih from Nemiga.

These changes alone are enough to spark curiosity — after all, in top-level Counter-Strike, even a single roster move can drastically shift a team's performance. With rising stars stepping into the spotlight, the stage is set for surprises, upsets, and perhaps even a new era for some of these organizations.