IEM Cologne is just around the corner, with the iconic tournament set to commence tomorrow morning.
The $1.25 million event marks the start of the fall season in top-tier Counter-Strike and will feature all the heavyweights in Vitality, Falcons, Spirit, and more.
[post_preview url="https://pley.gg/preview-iem-cologne-2025/"]First day matches
Before the main event begins, Stage 1 will determine which eight teams earn a spot in the elite group stage. The first matches begin Wednesday morning.
The opening-day schedule includes eight must-watch matchups, with teams like FaZe, Astralis, and Liquid all entering the server.
There are several storylines to follow: the return of Helvijs “broky” Saukants to FaZe’s starting lineup, TYLOO hitting the server fresh off their FISSURE Playground 1 victory, and Justin “jks” Savage being back to an Australian team on FlyQuest.
Here are the opening day matchups from Cologne:
Wednesday schedule
- 10:30 – GamerLegion vs Complexity
- 10:30 – TYLOO vs Virtus.pro
- 13:00 – Astralis vs B8
- 13:00 – FlyQuest vs FURIA
- 15:30 – FaZe vs BIG
- 15:30 – 3DMAX vs MIBR
- 18:00 – Liquid vs paiN
- 18:00 – NIP vs HEROIC
Stage 1 at IEM Cologne holds 16 teams that will go head-to-head with each other in a double elimination bracket.
By Friday, eight teams will advance to the main event, where top seeds like Vitality and MOUZ are already waiting.
