ESL reveals IEM Cologne brackets

Sixteen teams will begin the tournament in Stage 1, with a further eight awaiting in Stage 2.

ESL has unveiled the brackets for stages one and two of IEM Cologne 2025. The showpiece event will take place between July 23 and August 3, with $1.25 million up for grabs.

Twenty-four teams will be competing in the tournament, with 16 starting in Stage 1, a double-elimination qualifying bracket. The top eight sides will progress to Stage 2, joining the eight highest-ranked teams per the June invitational ranking.

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In Stage 2, the 16 teams will be split into two double-elimination groups. The group winners will advance to the semi-finals, while the second- and third-placed teams will progress to the quarter-finals.

The playoffs will be a single-elimination BO3 bracket until the final, which will be BO5.

Stage 1 will see Justin "⁠jks⁠" Savage debut for FlyQuest and Kacper "⁠xKacpersky⁠" Gabara make his first appearance under Ninjas in Pyjamas. It will also mark Helvijs "⁠broky⁠" Saukants's return to FaZe after a spell on the bench.

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Below you can find the initial match-ups for Stage 1:

Date	Matches
IEM Cologne 2025 Stage 1
23/07/2025	GamerLegion 10:30 Complexity	Match
23/07/2025	TYLOO 10:30 Virtus.pro	Match
23/07/2025	Astralis 13:00 B8	Match
23/07/2025	FlyQuest 13:00 FURIA	Match
23/07/2025	3DMAX 16:20 MIBR	Match
23/07/2025	FaZe 17:35 BIG	Match
23/07/2025	Ninjas in Pyjamas 18:25 HEROIC	Match
23/07/2025	Liquid 19:45 paiN	Match

Note: The starting time is provisional. The full schedule will be confirmed at a later date.

The likes of Vitality, Spirit, Natus Vincere and Falcons are awaiting in Stage 2, which is slated to start on July 26. The brackets for the two groups currently look as follows:

Group A

Vitality vs TBD
TBD vs G2
Falcons vs TBD
TBD vs The MongolZ

Group B

MOUZ vs TBD
TBD vs Natus Vincere
Aurora vs TBD
TBD vs Spirit