CS:GO IEM Cologne 2022 schedule, teams, format

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.

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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.

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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

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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.

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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

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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.