One of the biggest events on the CSGO 2023 calendar is right around the corner, with IEM Cologne kicking off on July 6th and running through to July 18th. This preview will break down everything you need to know about the event, including the format, those in attendance, the prize pool, and more.
IEM Cologne 2023 Event Breakdown
Before we dive into the storylines at the event and any predictions for possible winners and underdog stories, let’s first look at the full breakdown so you can catch as much of the action as possible and understand what is happening.
Format
With the event featuring 24 teams over two weeks of action, it has been divided into Play-Ins, Group Stage, and then Playoffs. Eight are already qualified for the group stage, with the remaining sixteen battling it out in the Play-In stage with an additional eight group-stage places up for grabs. Below you can find details for each respective stage of the event.
Play-In: July 6th – 7th, 2023
- Double-Elimination bracket
- Opening matches are Bo1
- All following matches are Bo3
- The top eight advanced to the Group Stage
Group Stage: July 8th – 11th, 2023
- Two double-elimination format (GSL) groups
- Each group has eight teams
- Seeded using EPT Rankings & ESL World Rankings
- All matches are Bo3
- The top three from each group advance to the Playoffs:
- Group stage winners advance to the Semifinals
- Group stage runners-up advance to the Quarterfinals as the High Seeds
- Group stage 3rd place teams advance to the Quarterfinals as the Low Seeds
Playoffs: July 16th – 18th, 2023
- Single-Elimination bracket
- The Quarterfinals & Semifinals are Bo3
- The Grand Final is Bo5
Teams Participating
As mentioned previously, eight teams directly qualified for the event and already find themselves in the Group Stages, with the other sixteen having to battle it out through the Play-Ins. Below is the full list of participants, with clarification for which stage of the event they will be starting, as well as details on how they qualified.
Directly Qualified Teams
- Gambit Esports – Road to Cologne EU #1
- Natus Vincere (NaVi) – Road to Cologne EU #2
- Heroic – Road to Cologne EU #3
- Virtus.pro (VP) – Road to Cologne EU #4
- Astralis – Road to Cologne EU #5
- G2 Esports – Road to Cologne EU #6
- FURIA Esports – Road to Cologne NA #1
- Team Liquid – Road to Cologne NA #2
Play-In Teams
- Team Spirit – Road to Cologne EU #7
- Complexity Gaming – Road to Cologne EU #8
- Ninjas in Pyjamas – Road to Cologne EU #9
- Evil Geniuses – Road to Cologne NA #3
- Team One – Road to Cologne NA #4
- MIBR – Road to Cologne SA #1
- Renegades – Road to Cologne OCE #1
- ViCi Gaming – Road to Cologne AS #1
- BIG – ESL World Ranking (31/05)
- Mousesports – ESL World Ranking (31/05)
- Team Vitality – ESL World Ranking (31/05)
- FaZe Clan – ESL World Ranking (31/05)
- Bad News Bears – ESL World Ranking (31/05)
- OG – ESL World Ranking (31/05)
- Team LDLC – ESL NC Global Playoff
- Sprout – ESL Meisterschaft
Prize Pool Breakdown
There is $1,000,000 USD up for grabs over the two weeks of action at IEM Cologne 2023, which marks it as one of the biggest CS:GO events of the year. Below you will find a full breakdown of how the prize pool is split amongst the 24.
| Place | Prize in USD |
| 1st | $400,000 |
| 2nd | $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 |
IEM Cologne 2023 Storyline & Predictions
In the lead up to each and every event, there is always talks about who the favorites to win are, as well as discussions over who has the potential and quality to cause some upsets. The 2023 CS:GO season has been filled with upsets and dramatic storylines, so it’s fully expected that another interesting storyline will emerge over the next two weeks.
Favorites To Win IEM Cologne 2023
Let’s start with the favorites to win the event, we have identified four teams that are most likely to win and will be appearing in many people’s predictions.
Gambit Esports Set To Continue 2023 Success
Gambit has truly emerged as a top team in the world during the 2023 season. Previously they were a solid roster but would struggle to make any real impact at majors. However, in 2023 they have won three premier “S-Tier” tournaments which are the biggest in the calendar. This includes the past two events they attended, so they will be aiming to make it three major championships in a row at IEM Cologne 2023.
Will Natus Vincere Lock In Another Championship?
Natus Vincere (NaVi) have spent the past couple of years as a team that has had a lot of talent but often struggled to get the big victories over the finish line. Additionally, they have undergone slight rebuilds that have ultimately given the team what was previously that missing edge. They have transitioned from struggling to compete at the top regularly with inconsistent performances to winning two major championships in 2023, taking home $700,000 in winnings from those two events alone. They fell short against Gambit at the recent major and will be seeking revenge.
Heroic Go From Underdogs To Favourites
Heroic landed in the spotlight in 2020 when they rebuilt their rosters and were able to start challenging the top teams. They have been able to successfully build upon this in the first half of the 2023 CSGO season. Whilst their victories haven’t been as consistent or as big as NaVi and Gambit, they have transitioned from just being another potential underdog to being a true competitor. In recent months they won ESL Pro League Season 13 and picked up a 3rd-4th finish at DreamHack Masters Spring.
Astralis Pushing To Get Back On Top
The final favorite to win is the previous powerhouse that is Astralis. They have a couple of years of dominance with Team Liquid acting as their regular competitor for first place, but things haven’t started to go downhill recently. This wasn’t helped with Ninjas in Pyjamas managing to sign Device from them as part of the NiP rebuild. After the 2018 and 2019 seasons that were filled with championships, it slowed down a bit in 2020, but there were still notable first-place finishes. However, in 2023 Astralis have failed to win an event, with just one 2nd place finish and the closest after that being 5th-6th. They still fall into the favorite categories because they’ve won in the past and are battling to get back to that success.
Underdogs & Dark Horses To Look Out For
Now let’s go onto two teams that are believed to have the quality and form to cause some upsets along the way. Both are coming from the Play-In stage, and whilst they might not go all the way, they could definitely pull off results against some of the big teams and shake the bracket up a bit.
Team Spirit
Firstly there’s Team Spirit, who really stamped their name as a top team in February at IEM Katowice. They finished 3rd-4th, being eliminated in a 2-0 series by Gambit. However, they did defeat G2 Esports, Heroic, and Astralis on their way to that series, so there is some serious firepower in the roster. Whilst that success has yet to be replicated, it wouldn’t be a huge surprise if they managed to pull off some similar results at IEM Cologne 2023.
Ninjas in Pyjamas
Finally, we have the team that managed to lure Device from Astralis earlier this year. Ninjas in Pyjamas (NiP) have a rich history in CS:GO, however, in recent years, have fallen behind and are now in a rebuilding process with hopes of reaching the pinnacle of CS once again. With a mix of experienced players and young guns with heaps of raw talent, the team has the potential to be successful in the long term. Events like this will be huge in those developments as they can test themselves against top teams and in long-format tournaments. This could very well be their first notable event in quite some time.
IEM Cologne 2023 Conclusion
Hopefully, that has helped break down the upcoming IEM Cologne event for you and has provided some insight into the teams to look out for throughout the two weeks of action. Now it’s time to sit back and enjoy some of the best CS:GO action we will see all year.
