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A few of CS:GO's most elite contenders have convened in Cologne, Germany, to compete for the Intel Elite Masters (IEM) Cologne 2022 title and collect their share from a grand prize pool of $1 million.
IEM Cologne 2022 kicked off on July 5, 2022, with a play-in stage to finalize the final eight Group Stage contestants. With the groups decided, sixteen CS:GO teams will head into the last two stages of the tournament, where they will attempt to fight for the title and claim their $400,000 prize money.
The main event (playoffs) of IEM Cologne 2022 will be held live at the LANXESS arena in Cologne, with its Grand Final scheduled for July 17, 2022.
Everything you need to know about CS:GO's IEM Cologne 2022: Schedule, format, and more
Teams
A total of 24 CS:GO teams from all over the world have qualified for the IEM Cologne 2022. After the conclusion of the play-ins, 16 teams remain. The remaining teams are as such:
- FaZe Clan
- Natus Vincere
- Cloud9
- G2 Esports
- Ninjas in Pyjamas
- ENCE
- FURIA Esports
- Team Liquid
- Heroic
- Team Spirit
- Outsiders
- Movistar Riders
- Team Vitality
- Astralis
- 00 Nation
- MOUZ
Eight other CS:GO teams made it to IEM Cologne 2022 through the qualifiers but failed to make it past the play-ins stage. They are as follows:
- Sprout
- paiN Gaming
- Complexity
- BIG
- ORDER
- Imperial Esports
- MIBR
- Tyloo
Format
IEM Cologne 2022 will be conducted in 3 stages: play-ins, Group Stage, and playoffs. Prior to the tournament's start, the top 6 seeds from the Road to Cologne EU rankings and the top 2 from NA received direct qualification to the Group Stage.
CS:GO teams seeded 7th-9th in EU, 3rd and 4th in NA, and the top seeds from Asia, Oceania, and South America entered the play-ins and were joined by the winner of ESL Meisterschaft Spring 2022 and teams who qualified on the basis of their ESL World Ranking. After two days of play-ins, 8 teams qualified for the Group Stage.
IEM Cologne's Group Stage will be conducted in two double-elimination groups of eight teams each. Each matchup in this bracket will be a best-of-three series. The winners of each group will advance directly to the semi-finals. The runners-up and 3rd place teams of each group will enter the quarter-finals as High Seeds and Low Seeds, respectively.
A single-elimination playoff bracket will ultimately decide the winners of IEM Cologne 2022. The quarter-finals and semi-finals of the tournament will be conducted in a best-of-three format, whereas the Grand Finals will be a best-of-five matchup.
Schedule
Group Stage schedule:
Day 1
- G2 vs Movistar Riders: Thursday, July 7 - 4.00 pm IST/ 3.30 am PDT/ 12.30 pm CEST
- NIP vs Heroic: Thursday, July 7 - 4.00 pm IST/ 3.30 am PDT/ 12.30 pm CEST
- NAVI vs MOUZ: Thursday, July 7 - 7.30 pm IST/ 7.00 am PDT/ 4.00 pm CEST
- ENCE vs Vitality: Thursday, July 7 - 7.30 pm IST/ 7.00 am PDT/ 4.00 pm CEST
- Cloud9 vs Outsiders: Thursday, July 7 - 11.00 pm IST/ 10.30 am PDT/ 7.30 pm CEST
- Liquid vs Spirit: Thursday, July 7 - 11.00 pm IST/ 10.30 am PDT/ 7.30 pm CEST
Day 2
- FaZe vs 00NATION: Friday, July 8 - 4.00 pm IST/ 3.30 am PDT/ 12.30 pm CEST
- Furia vs Astralis: Friday, July 8 - 4.00 pm IST/ 3.30 am PDT/ 12.30 pm CEST
- Group A Upper Bracket Semi-final #1: Friday, July 8 - 7.30 pm IST/ 7.00 am PDT/ 4.00 pm CEST
- Group A Lower Bracket Round 1 #1: Friday, July 8 - 7.30 pm IST/ 7.00 am PDT/ 4.00 pm CEST
- Group A Upper Bracket Semi-final #2: Friday, July 8 - 11.00 pm IST/ 10.30 am PDT/ 7.30 pm CEST
- Group A Lower Bracket Round 1 #2: Friday, July 8 - 11.00 pm IST/ 10.30 am PDT/ 7.30 pm CEST
Day 3
- Group B Lower Bracket Round 1 #1: Saturday, July 9 - 4.00 pm IST/ 3.30 am PDT/ 12.30 pm CEST
- Group B Lower Bracket Round 1 #2: Saturday, July 9 - 4.00 pm IST/ 3.30 am PDT/ 12.30 pm CEST
- Group B Upper Bracket Semi-final #1: Saturday, July 9 - 7.30 pm IST/ 7.00 am PDT/ 4.00 pm CEST
- Group B Upper Bracket Semi-final #2: Saturday, July 9 - 7.30 pm IST/ 7.00 am PDT/ 4.00 pm CEST
- Group A Lower Bracket Semi-final #1: Saturday, July 9 - 11.00 pm IST/ 10.30 am PDT/ 7.30 pm CEST
- Group A Lower Bracket Semi-final #2: Saturday, July 9 - 11.00 pm IST/ 10.30 am PDT/ 7.30 pm CEST
Day 4
- Group B Lower Bracket Semi-final #1: Sunday, July 10 - 4.00 pm IST/ 3.30 am PDT/ 12.30 pm CEST
- Group B Lower Bracket Semi-final #2: Sunday, July 10 - 4.00 pm IST/ 3.30 am PDT/ 12.30 pm CEST
- Group A Lower Bracket Final: Sunday, July 10 - 7.30 pm IST/ 7.00 am PDT/ 4.00 pm CEST
- Group A Upper Bracket Final: Sunday, July 10 - 7.30 pm IST/ 7.00 am PDT/ 4.00 pm CEST
- Group B Lower Bracket Final: Sunday, July 10 - 11.00 pm IST/ 10.30 am PDT/ 7.30 pm CEST
- Group B Upper Bracket Final: Sunday, July 10 - 11.00 pm IST/ 10.30 am PDT/ 7.30 pm CEST
Playoffs schedule:
Day 5
- Quarter-final #1: Friday, July 15 - 7.00 pm IST/ 6.30 am PDT/ 3.30 pm CEST
- Quarter-final #2: Friday, July 15 - 10.30 pm IST/ 10.00 am PDT/ 7.00 pm CEST
Day 6
- Semi-final #1: Saturday, July 16 - 7.00 pm IST/ 6.30 am PDT/ 3.30 pm CEST
- Semi-final #2: Saturday, July 16 - 10.30 pm IST/ 10.00 am PDT/ 7.00 pm CEST
Day 7
- Grand Final: Sunday, July 17 - 7.30 pm IST/ 7.00 am PDT/ 4.00 pm CEST
Where to watch
CS:GO enthusiasts can catch the IEM Cologne 2022 live on ESL CS:GO's official Twitch channel or on the various official watch parties held by CS:GO streamers and players all over the world.
