The $1,000,000 Intel Extreme Masters Cologne 2023 will see the participation of 24 teams from around the world
With a million dollar prize pool and 24 teams, IEM Cologne 2023 will be the second largest CSGO event of the year so far behind the Paris Major. The LANXESS Arena in Cologne, Germany is preparing to witness history as the best of Counter-Strike compete for twelve days in this tournament organized by ESL.
Starting on July 26, IEM Cologne 2023 will be the last of the series of events to be played in CS:GO before the world switches to Counter-Strike 2. Here’s everything you need to know about the event, including viewing guides and schedules.
Intel Extreme Masters Cologne 2023 Stream – How to Watch
Group stage matches will begin at 05:30 PT / 08:30 ET / 14:30 CEST on July 26. You can follow the games on these streams –
Intel Extreme Masters Cologne 2023 – Team List
Intel Extreme Masters Cologne 2023 will feature 24 teams from around the world. Next to groups with a high ESL World Rankingwe will see the participation of teams that did well in IEM Katowice 2023, ESL Pro League Season 17, IEM Rio, BLAST Major, IEM Dallas and Meisterschaft.
Of the 24 teams, 16 teams will compete in the Play-In stage, while eight teams have already secured a place in the group stage.
Playing teams
- MOUSE
- yeast
- 9 in
- FURIA Sports
- Team Liquid
- Imperial Esports
- MongolZ
- Hound games
- Fnatic
- Monte
- Ninja in Pajamas
- Astral
- In Violation
- Complexity of games
- AND
- BIG
Qualified teams in the group stage
- G2 Esports
- FaZe Clan
- Team vitality
- Encee
- Heroic
- Cloud 9
- Born to win
- GamerLegion
Intel Extreme Masters Cologne 2023 – Prize
Prize pool – 1,000,000 USD
- $1-$400,000
- 2 – $180,000
- 3 – 4 – $80,000
- 5 – 6 – $40,000
- 7 – 8 – $24,000
- 9 – 12 – $16,000
- 13 – 16 – $10,000
- 17 – 20 – $4500
- 21 – 24 – $2,500
The winner of this event will qualify directly for IEM Katowice 2024.
Credit: IEM
Intel Extreme Masters Cologne 2023 – Format
The 2023 IEM Cologne will begin with the Play-In phase, where 16 teams will compete in a two-elimination bracket. The top 8 teams from the Play-In stage will advance to the group stage to fulfill the rest of the 8 waiting lists. While the opening matches of the Play-In stage will be Bo1, the rest will be Bo3.
After the Play-In matches, the group stage matches will begin, with two groups consisting of 16 teams in total. The group stage grouping will be in the GSL double-elimination format and the top 3 teams from each group will advance to the Playoffs – 6 teams in total. All group stage matches, including the opening matches, will be Bo3.
The playoffs will take place in a single elimination group where a single loss will be the end of the journey for the participating teams. All matches of this stage are Bo3, except for the Bo5 grand final.
Intel Extreme Masters Cologne 2023 – Schedule
The Play-In matches will begin on Wednesday, July 26, with eight teams qualifying for the group stage starting on July 29. Six teams from the group stage will secure the Playoffs starting on August 4. In total, this tournament will give us 12 days of exciting matches.
Play-In
Day 1, Wednesday, July 26
- MOUZ vs The MongolZ – 05:30 PT / 08:30 ET / 14:30 CEST
- Into The Breach vs Ninjas in Pajamas – 05:30 PT / 08:30 ET / 14:30 CEST
- Fnatic vs Complexity – 06:45 PT / 09:45 ET / 15:45 CEST
- OG vs 9INE – 06:45 PT / 09:45 ET / 15:45 CEST
- Monte vs Imperial – 08:00 PT / 11:00 ET / 17:00 CEST
- Astral vs Liquid – 08:00 PT / 11:00 ET / 17:00 CEST
- Apeks vs BIG – 09:15 PT / 12:15 ET / 18:15 CEST
- Greyhound vs FURIA – 09:15 PT / 12:15 ET / 18:15 CEST
- TBA vs TBA – 10:30am PT / 1:30pm ET / 7:30pm CEST
- TBA vs TBA – 10:30am PT / 1:30pm ET / 7:30pm CEST
Day two, Thursday, July 27
- TBA vs TBA – 03:30 PT / 06:30 ET / 12:30 CEST
- TBA vs TBA – 03:30 PT / 06:30 ET / 12:30 CEST
- TBA vs TBA – 07:00 PT / 10:00 ET / 16:00 CEST
- TBA vs TBA – 07:00 PT / 10:00 ET / 16:00 CEST
- TBA vs TBA – 10:30am PT / 1:30pm ET / 7:30pm CEST
- TBA vs TBA – 10:30am PT / 1:30pm ET / 7:30pm CEST
Day 3, Friday, July 28
- TBA vs TBA – 07:00 PT / 10:00 ET / 16:00 CEST
- TBA vs TBA – 07:00 PT / 10:00 ET / 16:00 CEST
- TBA vs TBA – 10:30am PT / 1:30pm ET / 7:30pm CEST
- TBA vs TBA – 10:30am PT / 1:30pm ET / 7:30pm CEST
Schedules for the group stage and playoffs will be updated as soon as they are announced.
Watch ESTNN to get previews for every match of the Intel Extreme Masters Cologne 2023 and also the upcoming Counter-Strike tournaments!
