IEM Cologne CS2 betting guide

One of the biggest Counter-Strike 2 tournaments on the esports calendar is IEM Cologne, with the next edition set to kick off in July 2025. CS2 IEM Cologne betting is available at many of the top esports betting sites, with odds generally going live in the week leading up to the event. IEM Cologne betting sites often run promotions surrounding major CS2 tournaments, which we will cover below, while we will also run you through the IEM Cologne tournament structure, teams, how to bet, how to watch and much more.

The best IEM Cologne betting sites for 2025 are:

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IEM Cologne betting introduction

Termed the Cathedral of Counter-Strike esports, IEM Cologne is played inside the Lanxess Arena and is one of the major CS2 tournaments. The championship, which was formerly known as ESL One Cologne, was rebranded in 2021. It is organised by ESL and is an offline German tournament.

We created this in-depth IEM Cologne betting guide to aid you in your CS2 betting quest. We will provide you with information as regards the best betting sites and odds, where to watch the tournament, and how to wager on the IEM Cologne 2025 edition. We will also highlight the participants, the event structure, and everything needed to aid you in making your betting decisions.

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CS2 IEM Cologne 2025

The IEM Cologne 2025 CS2 tournament will return to a LAN for the fourth time post-covid. The CS2 IEM Cologne tournament will feature 24 teams striving to become the 2025 champions with a prize pool of USD $1,000,000.

The event is scheduled for a two-week span as the best CS2 teams will all gather in Germany (German esports betting). The teams will battle not just for the prize money, adding a win in the Intel Grand Slam, but for the bragging rights of clinching one of the most prestigious titles in the world.

IEM Cologne dates 2025

The IEM Cologne is scheduled to run for 11 days, with the event set to kick off on July 23. The tournament will run its course and the grand final will be held on August 3, where the 2025 IEM Cologne CS2 champion will be crowned.

• IEM Cologne Play-in Stage dates – TBC
• IEM Cologne Group Stage dates – TBC
• IEM Cologne Playoffs Stage dates – TBC

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CS2 IEM Cologne odds

Odds for IEM Cologne are not available. ESB will update this page when they are released.

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IEM Cologne teams 2025

There will be eight directly qualified teams and 16 play-in teams. All 24 teams will be battling to become the 2025 IEM Cologne champion.

The participating teams will be announced closer to the start of the event.

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CS2 IEM Cologne betting sites

While there are a plethora of CS2 IEM Cologne betting sites, we have curated our most preferred esports betting sites to get you started. These IEM Cologne sportsbooks provide the best IEM Cologne odds with special promotions for new bettors:

#1	Fast Payouts BetOnline Get up to $250 in Free Bets with no strings attached, plus 100 Free Spins.	Visit BetOnline BetOnline Review
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Below are the top IEM Cologne betting sites:

• Betway
• 888 Sports
• William Hill
• Leo Vegas
• Betsson
• Bet365

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IEM Cologne tournament structure

The IEM Cologne tournament structure is broken down into three stages, namely the play-in, group stage, and the playoffs. A total of 24 teams will participate in hopes of clinching the title with a $1,000,000 prize pool.

• Play-In

  • Opening matches are best-of-one
  • All following matches are best-of-three
  • The top eight teams advance to the Group Stage

• Group Stage

  • Two double-elimination format (GSL) groups
  • Each group has eight teams
  • All matches are best-of-three
  • The top three teams from each group advance to the Playoffs
  • Group Stage winners advance to the Semi-finals
  • 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

  • Single-Elimination bracket
  • The Quarterfinals & Semifinals are best-of-three
  • The Grand Final is best-of-five

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IEM Cologne Prizemoney

The IEM Cologne CS2 2025 has a prize pool of USD $1,000,000. All 24 participating teams at the IEM Cologne will share in the prize pool, with teams earning the reciprocated winnings allotted to each position (or range) that they finish in.

Place	Prizemoney	Blast Premier Circuit Points
1st	$400,000	3000 pts
2nd	$180,000	2000 pts
3rd-4th	$80,000	1200 pts
5th-6th	$40,000	500 pts
7th-8th	$24,000	300 pts
9th-12th	$16,000	0 pts
13th-16th	$10,000	0 pts
17th-20th	$4,500	0 pts
21st-24th	$2,500	0 pts

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IEM Cologne past winners and history

Since the first Counter-Strike IEM Cologne event in 2014, there has been seven individual organisations win the prestigious event. The 2020 event was cancelled due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, meaning the 2021 edition of IEM Cologne was the first in two years.

The previous winners of IEM Cologne are:

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  • 2014 – Ninjas in Pyjamas
  
  
  • 2015 – Fnatic
  
  
  • 2016 – SK Gaming
  
  
  • 2017 – SK Gaming
  
  
  • 2018 – Natus Vincere
  
  
  • 2019 – Team Liquid
  
  
  • 2020 – Cancelled
  • 2021 – Natus Vincere
  • 2022 – FaZe Clan
  • 2023 – G2 Esports
  • 2024 – Team Vitality

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How to bet on the IEM Cologne CS2 esports tournament

Having created an account with one of our above-listed IEM Cologne betting sites. You can proceed to fund your account with the amount you are willing to wager.

There are various ways to bet on the IEM Cologne tournament and we will treat a few to paint a picture of what is attainable.

How to bet on esports is a common question when it comes to wagering online,

Some of the most common bet types you will find available surrounding this CS2 major esports event are:

• IEM Cologne Moneyline Bets
  This type of IEM Cologne betting is centered on who will be the match-winner of a game is. All that is required here, is that you select the team you think will win the matchup.
• IEM Cologne outright Bets
  Outright betting on the IEM Cologne esports events are a more rounded decision of the entire event. Here, you will select the team you think will win the IEM Cologne CS2 tournament. If your selected team makes it to the grand final and eventually wins, you will have won the wager.
• IEM Cologne Prop Bets
  IEM Cologne Prop betting covers every other betting aspect of the game that does not include the match-winner. Here, bettors can wager on the total number of maps/rounds, match MVP, and so on.
• IEM Cologne Live Bets
  Bettors can also wager on IEM Cologne live matches in real-time, although this feature can be restricted in some places. For instance esports betting sites in Australia do not allow you to wager on matches live online.

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How to watch IEM Cologne 2025

The IEM Cologne 2025 tournament can be watched live on Twitch. There will also be different channels aimed at appealing to local audiences. The coverage of the IEM Cologne esports tournament is not limited to the English language, knowing a huge part of the audience has a non-English primary language. You can learn more about watching CS2 events online in our extensive guide.