This weekend, IEM XVIII Cologne enters its final stage, the playoffs. Only six of the initial 24 teams remain in the race, and the winner will receive $400,000. If you love Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO), the matches scheduled for July 15 – 17 are unmissable, and in this article, you will learn more about them.
The Prestige of IEM Cologne
IEM Cologne is a huge CS:GO event that offers $1 million in prizes and usually attracts a few million viewers.
This event is bigger than BLAST Premier Global Final and its viewership is far better than tournaments from other popular esports, such as League of Legends: Wild Rift.
IEM Cologne features the world’s strongest CS:GO teams every year. The winner is practically regarded as a world champion.
Since there is no World Championship in this eSport, the Majors and other S-tier events constitute the only opportunities to see all of the world’s best teams in action, fighting for a big trophy.
For all of you watching this major competitive CSGO tournament, here are some essential details to know before the finals begin.
IEM Cologne Playoffs Details
The playoffs stage of IEM Cologne takes place between July 15 – 17 in one of the city’s huge arenas, LANXESS.
This will undoubtedly be one of the most spectacular CS:GO events of the last few years because the fans can’t wait to enjoy some live action in the good old fashion way.
Schedule
On each of the three competitive days, the matches are scheduled to start at around 15:30 – 16:00 CET. Of course, they will be preceded and followed by analysis and interviews, so if you want to learn more about the teams and the players, you should tune in early.
Participants
The Main Event of IEM Cologne features six teams:
- Astralis
- MOUZ
- Movistar Riders
- Team Liquid
- Natus Vincere
- FaZe Clan
Prizes
Most of the original prize pool is still on the table. The prize will be distributed among the six participants in the following way:
- 1st place: $400,000
- 2nd place: $180,000
- 3rd – 4th place: $80,000
- 5th – 6th place: $40,000
IEM Cologne Playoffs Favorites
Here’s a brief analysis of the six teams that will take part in the playoffs of IEM Cologne 2022:
Astralis
Astralis qualified for the playoffs of IEM Cologne by defeating Complexity and BIG in the play-in stage, and then FURIA and Cloud9 in the group stage. They also lost against 00 Nation and FaZe Clan along the way.
For the Danish squad, this top 6 at IEM Cologne is by far the best result of the season. Gla1ve and his crew have had other achievements, but those results occurred in much smaller and less contested tournaments.
Of the teams still in the race, Astralis is one of the most familiar with the taste of success. After all, no other CS:GO team has won so many Majors and S-tier tournaments as they. If Farlig and his other young teammate, blameF, can cope with the pressure, Xyp9x, gla1ve, and k0nfig might carry them to an epic Grand Final.
MOUZ
MOUZ had to perform miracles to be here. This team is currently ranked 14th globally and was given almost zero chances of qualifying for the playoffs ahead of the tournament. The players are eager to prove themselves in one of the biggest stages of their careers. Still, it won’t be easy to defeat Astralis in the Quarterfinals.
The opponents MOUZ has defeated so far at IEM Cologne 2022 are paiN Gaming, TYLOO, Heroic, Vitality, and NiP. The last three of these teams are very strong, and MOUZ came close to beating even Natus Vincere in the group stage. These are all encouraging signs for the Quarterfinals.
Movistar Riders
Movistar Riders are by far the biggest surprise of the tournament. This dark horse entered the race without even being ranked in the top 10 and beat some powerful competitors, such as Vitality and G2 Esports.
The Spanish players are little-known by the CS:GO community, but they will probably have some fans cheering for them in the LANXESS arena.
Team Liquid
Team Liquid is very similar to Astralis in that they were once a great team that dominated CS:GO for a while and then fell into obscurity due to losing key players.
But now that nitr0 is back from playing Valorant, and the entire roster is in the zone, we can expect Liquid to show us what they’re truly capable of.
Liquid is ranked 17th globally, but that’s about to change very soon. In the playoffs of IEM Cologne, the North American crew has a challenging path to the Grand Final. But that doesn’t mean they can’t succeed. So far, at this event, Liquid defeated 00 Nation, Cloud9, and FURIA. All of them are strong teams.
Natus Vincere
Natus Vincere is probably the best team in the race, at least in terms of individual talent. S1mple has the potential to carry his crew to a victory almost on his own, and there are at least two other Na’Vi players who can do what he does: electroNic and b1t.
The team’s only weakness, sdy, has demonstrated since he joined the team that he can play at a high level and will not ruin Na’Vi’s chances. He’s probably still the weakest player on the roster. Still, he doesn’t need to do extraordinary things for Na’Vi to succeed. He just needs to be average, and s1mple will do the rest.
Na’Vi has recently reclaimed the number 1 spot in the global rankings on HLTV, but to stay there, they will need to finish the race ahead of FaZe Clan.
FaZe Clan
This team won the last CS:GO Major by defeating Na’Vi in the Grand Final. In terms of individual talent, they’re on par with Na’Vi. In terms of leadership, they’re probably stronger because karrigan is one of the best IGLs in the game’s history.
FaZe Clan had to defeat 00 Nation, Team Spirit, and Astralis to advance to the Semifinals of IEM Cologne. It will likely play in the Grand Final.
