Category: CS-GO

Tactical Shooter Esports 2022 – Comparing VALORANT and CS:GO

Posted on by Gabriel Sciberras

Up until 2020, the only tactical shooter esport of note was CS:GO. Released all the way back in 2012, it stood uncontested and hugely popular for several years. However, with the release of VALORANT in 2020, the genre is now being shared – how do the two esports compare right now? Read on as we discuss tactical shooter esports 2022 in this featured article!

Is VALORANT Still the “CS:GO Killer”?

Credits Riot Games e
Credits: Riot Games

Firstly, we need to address an essential point. Indeed, upon release, discussions in the community discussed VALORANT as a “CS:GO killer”.

However, as time passed, it became clear that the gameplay of VALORANT is hugely different to the likes of CS:GO.

Furthermore, the main difference is agent/ability based gameplay. Specifically, while CS:GO relies on barebones strategy and gunplay with grenade utility, VALORANT takes a note from Overwatch by combining multiple unique agents with unique abilities which influence gameplay heavily.

Overall, both share the elements of a tactical shooter title:

  • Bomb defusal gameplay – either detonate the bomb, prevent planting of the bomb or eliminate the opponents
  • High precision gunplay
  • Alternating offense and defensive halves
  • An underlying economy mechanic
ESL Pro League Season 14
Credits: Valve

So yes, they’re different games which both sit in the Tactical Shooter Esport genre. On a side note, while Rainbow Six Siege may be considered to be in this genre, VALORANT and CS:GO are moreso similar due to elements such as economy.

Tactical Shooter Esports 2022 – Different Structures

With the gameplay discussed, let’s focus on the esports.

Starting with CS:GO, Valve has opted for a hugely popular approach, with third-party organizers. Accordingly, Valve coordinates with multiple high profile event organizers such as PGL, BLAST and ESL.

In addition, this allows for Majors to take place every now and then while other third party competitions take place with Valve’s underlying support.

Overall, the advantages of this approach is the incredible number of events filling the year to the brim, a consistent viewership and constantly developing competition.,

Credits: BLAST

On the other hand, being a massive difference, competitive VALORANT is focusing on a first-party aproach. Cradled by Riot Games, who are known for the franchised League of Legends, this approach will only grow with time.

For the past two years, Riot Games has organized the VALORANT Champions Tour. This is an open format event allowing the best teams from each region to try and compete for international dominance.

Moreover, events not organized by Riot Games are not given much attention, making most of the esport exclusive to the publisher.

Credits: Riot Games

In the coming future, there is a huge likelihood of franchising or a form of partnership program – this has been confirmed by Riot Games.

On a side note, both esports also make efforts to support female esports, though VALORANT’s may be viewed as more invested.

Esports Viewership – CS:GO Clearly On Top

Apart from viewing differences, we need to understand which esport is more popular. Accordingly, to do so, esports viewership is a commonly used metric.

Thanks to some statistics available by Esports Charts, we’ve listed the top three peak viewership statistics for both esports:

VALORANT:

  • VALORANT Champions 2021 – Peak Viewers 1,089,068
  • VCT 2021 Stage 2 Masters Reykjavik – Peak Viewers 1,085,850
  • VCT 2022 Stage 1 Masters Reykjavik – Peak Viewers 1,065,887
Credits: Riot Games

CS:GO:

  • PGL Major Stockholm 2021 – Peak Viewers 2,748,434
  • PGL Major Antwerp 2022 – Peak Viewers 2,113,610
  • ELEAGUE Major 2017 – Peak Viewers 1,331,781

As viewable, CS:GO is currently leaps and bounds ahead of VALORANT. Naturally, it’s unlikely VALORANT would compete with fanbase for an esports of 10 years.

Bearing this in mind, a peak of 1,000,000 views is very impressive for VALORANT – imagine where the esport will be given enough time!

ESL Pro League Season 14
Photo by Andrzej Grygiel / PAP / AFP) / Poland OUT / EASTNEWS OUT

Tactical Shooter Esports 2022 – A Clear Conclusion

So overall, CS:GO esports offers a more stacked calendar with more events, higher prize pools and better viewership. However, VALORANT is only two years old and holds its own in ever department with a promising future – though pursuing a different esport structure.

Feel free to follow future CS:GO and VALORANT events here on esportsguide!

For more esports news, visit: https://www.esportsguide.com/news

IEM Cologne CS:GO Viewership – Highest Non-Major Peak Ever

Posted on by Gabriel Sciberras

This past week, the CS:GO community enjoyed an incredible event as part of the Intel Extreme Masters. Accordingly, the IEM Cologne CS:GO viewership was seriously impressive – read on as we compare it to the history of CS:GO below!

IEM Cologne CS:GO Viewership – Hitting a Million

Credits: ESL Counter-Strike Twitter

Before proceeding, we’d like to credit Esports Charts with the publically available information!

Indeed, peaking in an incredible Grand Final between the heavyweights of FaZe Clan and Natus Vincere, IEM Cologne ended with a bang. Beloved by the live crowd, the online community also tuned in with the following recorded statistics:

  • Peak Viewers – 1,249,426
  • Average Viewers – 276,763

On their own, these numbers are already impressive. Indeed, pushing beyond 1 million viewers is always great to see – especially considering that this event is not a Major.

Credits: Intel Extreme Masters Twitter

Furthermore, with these statistics, the event is now part of the top 5 peak viewership for CS:GO esports of all time:

  • PGL Major Stockholm 2021 – Peak Viewers 2,748,434
  • PGL Major Antwerp 2022 – Peak Viewers 2,113,610
  • ELEAGUE Major 2017 – Peak Viewers 1,331,781
  • ELEAGUE Major 2018 – Peak Viewers 1,329,096
  • IEM Cologne 2022 – Peak Viewers 1,249,426

Bearing this in mind, we cannot wait for the rest of the year for this esport – one whose growth we discussed in a featured article.

For more esports news, visit: https://www.esportsguide.com/news

CS:GO Esports 2022 – Continuing to Raise the Ceiling

Posted on by Gabriel Sciberras

After another incredible event this past weekend, we need to talk about CS:GO Esports 2022. Indeed, arguably one of the top esports in the world manages to keep improving and growing in every aspect. Accordingly, in this featured discussion we’ll be discussing what makes this esport so successful!

CS:GO Esports 2022 – Endless Events

Credits: IEM Twitter

So, what’s the most important aspect of a succesful esport?

In our opinion, having consistent and meaningful international events. Indeed, through events, the esport can move forward, make changes and create further competition.

Most of the esports in the industry opt for either two structures. Specifically, there’s the third-party design where third-party organizers, not the publishers of the title, mainly organize events. An example of this include StarCraft II esports and tends to be less successful due to less organization over the year.

Meanwhile, first-party design involves the publisher strictly controlling the pace of competition with little competition outside the premier events. Examples of this include franchised esports such as Overwatch, League of Legends and Call of Duty esports. While this offers more structure, there is often a lack of competition and less frequent tournament events.

Credits: BLAST Twitter

Bearing this in mind, CS:GO strikes a perfect balance of third-party and first-party events. With Valve heavily involved in designing a balanced competitive scene, the year is simply bursting with events.

For context, take a look at all of the following events for the 2022 season – all of which are S-Tier events with huge prize pools and international competition:

  • BLAST Premier Spring Groups – January/February
  • IEM Katowice – February
  • ESL Pro League Season 15 – March/April
  • PGL Major Antwerp 2022 – May
  • IEM XVII Dallas – May
  • BLAST Premier Spring Finals 2022 – June
  • Roobet Cup – June
  • IEM Cologne – July
  • BLAST Premier Fall Groups – August
  • ESL Pro League Season 16 – August/October
  • IEM XVII Rio Major Antwerp 2022 – October/November
  • Elisa Masters Espoo 2022 – November
  • BLAST Premier Fall Finals – November
  • BLAST Premier World Finals – December

Overall, the combination of events organized by PGL, BLAST and ESL together with Valve has led to some incredible competition and a season full of opportunities for teams and fans to enjoy the esport.

CS:GO Esports 2022 – Consistent Viewership

Screenshot e
Credits: ESL

So much so, even though CS:GO esports kicked off back in 2012, viewership is still growing. Especially since CS:GO has offered the most impressive bounce back since the global situation, here are the top 5 viewed events ever for the esport thanks to Esports Charts:

  • PGL Major Stockholm 2021 – 2,748,120 Peak Viewers
  • PGL Major Antwerp 2022 – 2,113,610 Peak Viewers
  • ELEAGUE Major 2017 – 1,331,781 Peak Viewers
  • ELEAGUE Major 2018 – 1,329,096 Peak Viewers
  • IEM Cologne 2022 – 1,249,426 Peak Viewers

This past weekend, IEM Cologne 2022 offered the highest non-Major viewership of all-time for CS:GO.

Furthermore, 3 of the top 5 events have taken place within the past 5 years. So yes, the ridiculous amount of superb events is being absolutely loved by the community – encouraged further by unique incentives such as the IEM Grand Slam.

Credits: ESL

In addition, many of these events, outside of perhaps the BLAST Premier partnership program, remain with an Open Format. Specifically this means that any team can earn a spot in the competition should they earn enough points – this makes events more exciting and qualification allows for more competition for viewers to enjoy.

In addition, a global approach to event venues, ranging from Stockholm to Rio and to Dallas, is allowing for a healthy growth of the esport which doesn’t seem to be slowing.

CS:GO Esports 2022 – Franchising is Not Necessary

In conclusion, the one point to drive home here is the lack of need for franchising.

Indeed, other esports such as LoL and Overwatch have opted for the franchise model, but CS:GO continues to prove that it isn’t necessary to sustain an esport and maintain growth over multiple years.

We highly recommend keeping up to date with the esport here on esportsguide!

For more esports news, visit: https://www.esportsguide.com/news

IEM Cologne CS:GO 2022 Recap – FaZe Conquer Na’Vi

Posted on by Gabriel Sciberras

Over the past few weeks, IEM Cologne CS:GO 2022 brought the house down for CS:GO competition. Indeed, uniting the international community for some incredible matches, the event concluded last weekend. With FaZe cementing another incredible win – read on for your very own recap below!

IEM Cologne CS:GO 2022 – Cementing Legacy

Credits: ESL Twitter

Although favourites, there were some questions surrounding FaZe Clan. Namely, after losing to BIG at the Roobet Cup, there were doubts.

However, as early as the Group Stage. without dropping a single map, they proved their worth. Seemingly destined to crash into Natus Vincere in the Grand Finals, they would then sweep Movistar riders in the Semifinals.

Accordingly, this built up to a historical grand finals against Na’Vi.

Having beaten out Na’Vi at the PGL Major Antwerp Grand Final, FaZe were confident in repeating this feat. So much so, that after going down 2-1, the team of veterans would fight back into the series with two more map wins.

Credits: ESL Twitter

Concluding in a nail-biting 16-14 Nuke, FaZe have cemented themselves as the best team of 2022 so far. Earning the majority of the $1,000,000 prize pool and a tonne of BLAST Premier points, they’ve also earned a seed at IEM Katowice 2023!

Be sure to stay up to date for future CS:GO events on esportsguide.

For more esports news, visit: https://www.esportsguide.com/news

OG CS:GO Roster 2022 – Signing degster for mantuu

Posted on by Gabriel Sciberras

When a player steps in for a roster, there’s always a difficult decision to make. Accordingly, while most teams return to their original roster, on rare occasion the stand-in earns a permanent spot. That seems to be the case for the OG CS:GO Roster 2022!

OG CS:GO Roster 2022 – Earning a Full Spot

Credits: OG CS:GO Twitter

Indeed, to do so, there was a period of trial.

Specifically, after placing 3-4th at BLAST Premier Spring Finals with Abdulkhalik “degster” Gasanov as a stand-in for Mateusz “mantuu” Wilczewski, there were doubts.

However, competing at the Roobet Cup and placing 9-12th with a returning Mateusz “mantuu” Wilczewski seemed to be a deciding factor – hence they’ve decided to stick with “degster”.

Take a look at the official roster as announced recently:

  • Shahar “flameZ” Shushan
  • Nemanja “nexa” Isakovic
  • Adam “NEOFRAG” Zouhar
  • Maciej “F1KU” Miklas
  • Abdulkhalik “degster” Gasanov
  • Casper “ruggah” Due – Coach
ESL Pro League Season 14
Credits: Valve

Acquired from Team Spirit, the likes of “degster” can help this team continue their performance from the Spring Finals at the upcoming Majors.

Overall, the organization is hoping to improve over their past record as viewable below:

  • 9-12th @ Roobet Cup
  • 3-4th @ BLAST Premier Spring Finals 2022
  • 3-4th @ Global Esports Tour Dubai 2022
  • 9-11th @ PGL Major Antwerp 2022: European RMR A
  • 13-16th @ IEM XVI – Katowice

For more esports news, visit: https://www.esportsguide.com/news

Esports Viewership 2022 – Top 5 Esports Events So Far!

Posted on by Gabriel Sciberras

Year over the year, the esports industry continues to improve with regards to viewership. Accordingly, Esports Viewership 2022 has been no different so far. Considering that we’re only halfway through the year, we’ve gathered the top 5 esports events for viewership so far below!

Esports Viewership 2022 – LoL, CS:GO and Others

Furthermore, before we progress, it’s best to bear in mind that all of the viewership statistics were taken from the public website of Esports Charts. In addition, the following list considers events which started and ended in the first half of the year while also being part of featured esports on esportsguide.

#5 – IEM Katowice 2022

  • Dates: 15th to 27th February
  • Venue: Spodek Katowice, Poland
  • Title: CS:GO
  • Prize: $1,000,000
  • Winners: FaZe Clan
Screenshot e
Credits: ESL

Kicking things off, we have the legendary and yearly IEM Katowice 2022 event. This year, acting as a return to form for live CS:GO events, the event was the mark of a new era.

Specifically, as FaZe Clan rose to the top of the community, the community was entirely behind them as competition between themselves and Natus Vincere brought the very best out of the esport. Bearing this in mind, it’s the most viewed IEM Katowice event in history:

  • Peak Viewers: 1,122,015
  • Average Viewers: 328,068

Beyond prize and glory, the event was also essential to determine seeding for the PGL Major later in the year – an event you’ll learn more about below!

Be sure to not miss out on future CS:GO events on esportsguide!

#4 – LCK Spring 2022 – Esports Viewership 2022

  • Dates: 12th January to 20th March
  • Venue: South Korea
  • Title: League of Legends
  • Prize: N/A
  • Winners: T1
LCK Spring Playoffs
Credits: Riot Games

Curiously out of all of the events on this list, the LCK Spring 2022 is the only regular season/league event. Accordingly, that’s because such events are usually the build-up to the larger tournament-based Majors.

Bearing this in mind, that only screams volume with regards to the intense popularity of Korean League of Legends. As the LCK continues to bring the most exciting and competitive LoL, the region also continues to attract the strongest viewership numbers as viewable below:

  • Peak Viewers: 1,374,155
  • Average Viewers: 247,011

Celebrating a flawless and historic run by T1, the LCK Spring 2022 has set a record which will be tough to beat for regional leagues.

Be sure not to miss out on future LoL events on esportsguide!

#3 – Free Fire World Series 2022 Sentosa

  • Dates: 14th to 21st May
  • Venue: Sentosa, Singapore
  • Title: Free Fire
  • Prize: $2,000,000
  • Winners: Attack All Around
Credits: Garena

Moving on, we have our first and only mobile esports event. Embracing a global community which simply loves the mobile battle royale of Free Fire, Garena promised to deliver with Free Fire World Series 2022 Sentosa.

As viewable below, they certainly did:

  • Peak Viewers: 1,477,545
  • Average Viewers: 592,615

In the context of Free Fire trying to kep up with PUBG Mobile, the FFWS was a massive success. Bearing this in mind, we can’t wait for the second Major taking place this Fall which will hope to reiterate the success.

Be sure not to miss out on upcoming Free Fire events on esportsguide!

#2 – PGL Major Antwerp 2022 – Esports Viewership 2022

  • Dates: 9th to 22nd May
  • Venue: Antwerp, Belgium
  • Title: CS:GO
  • Prize: $1,000,000
  • Winners: FaZe Clan
Credits: PGL

As we mentioned beforehand, the PGL Major Antwerp 2022 was the ultimate CS:GO event whih the community had been waiting for.

With intense prize pool, huge pools of teams and multiple storylines – the event also featured an incredible live crowd.

All of this combined, with FaZe Clan continuing their performance, led to a peak of over 2,000,000 peak viewers:

  • Peak Viewers: 2,113,610
  • Average Viewers: 586,218

Be sure not to miss out on upcoming CS:GO events on esportsguide!

#1 – Mid-Season Invitational 2022

  • Dates: 10th to 29th May
  • Venue: Busan Esports Arena, South Korea
  • Title: League of Legends
  • Prize: $250,000
  • Winners: Royal Never Give Up
Screenshot e
Credits: Riot Games

May was truly a wild month for esports. Accordingly, while PGL Antwerp was going on, MSI 2022 was pushing the ceiling even further.

Inviting the single best team from every region in the world, MSI saw the Chinese region dethrone the Korean reign. Cradled by Riot Games’ experience, the event was a massive success as determined by the viewership numbers below:

  • Peak Viewers: 2,194,104
  • Average Viewers: 588,187

Naturally, this leaves us tremendously excited for Worlds 2022 later this year! Be sure to stay up to date for upcoming LoL events on esportsguide!

Moreover, there are more huge events this year which could easily push these numbers further.

For more esports news, visit: https://www.esportsguide.com/news

Top 5 Esports Events Summer 2022 – Mark Your Calendars!

Posted on by Gabriel Sciberras

Certainly, there’s no better way to beat the summer heat than a live esports event broadcasted to the entire world. Indeed, bearing this in mind, there are a tonne of events taking place from know until the end of September. Accordingly, we’ve done some research – take a look at our top 5 esports events summer 2022!

Before progressing, do note that this is an opinionated list considering multiple factors. Anyways, let’s get started!

#5 – BLAST Premier Fall Groups 2022

Screenshot e
Credits: BLAST
  • Dates: 19th to 28th August
  • Venue: Offline (Location TBA)
  • Organizer: BLAST
  • Prize: $200,000

Starting our list is none other than a premier CS:GO event. Specifically, the Tier 1 esports is known to have a small break in August for players and organizers.

Accordingly, the BLAST Premier Fall Groups 2022 will be an epic comeback for competitive CS:GO after this break. This could involve testing new roster changes, arising new winners for the season and upsets left and right.

Also, BLAST continues to host incredible events for competitive CS:GO – this one looks to be different with the best teams in the world competing for qualification into the subsequent Fall Finals event in November.

Check out the event page here on esportsguide!

#4 – CDL Championship Weekend 2022 – Esports Events Summer 2022

CoD Champs 2021
Credits: Call of Duty League
  • Dates: 4th to 7th August
  • Venue: Galen Center, LA California
  • Organizer: Activision Blizzard
  • Prize: $2,550,000

While the previous event kicks off the action from a break, the CDL Championship Weekend 2022 is the essential post-season event for competitive Call of Duty.

Indeed, the top 8 franchised teams from the Call of Duty League will be qualifying based on season points and hoping to cement themselves in the history books. As the peak of a competitive season, Champs is recognized for its viewership, moments and competitive intensity. All of this is celebrated by the huge prize pool which teams are playing for.

Furthermore, the winners earn rings and write themselves permanently as the best team of the entire season – in this case, CoD Vanguard.

Stay up to date with Call of Duty here on esportsguide!

#3 – RLCS 2021-22 World Championship

Credits: Psyonix
  • Dates: 4th to 14th August
  • Venue: Dickies Arena, Fort Worth
  • Organizer: Psyonix
  • Prize: $2,085,000

Continuing with this train of thought, the RLCS 2021-22 World Championship is a similar kind of event. However, planning to be a little more epic and narrative, thanks to a longer format, the event ranks higher for us.

In particular, the very best international teams for competitive Rocket League will fight to be named the best – a huge total of 24 teams will be competing offline for the $2,000,000 prize pool.

Considering the international appeal of competitive Rocket League, we’re expecting huge viewership, an epic return to the offline stage with an awesome crowd and surreal plays – the only way to end a season of effort!

Check out the tournament page here on esportsguide!

#2 – VALORANT Champions 2022 – Esports Events Summer 2022

Credits: Riot Games
  • Dates: 2nd to 18th September
  • Venue: Istanbul
  • Organizer: Riot Games
  • Prize: TBA

While Rocket League remains a growing prospect, competitive VALORANT continues to cement itself and climb to a Tier 1 status.

Under the watchful eye of Riot Games, the second year of competitive VALORANT has brought with it an impressive amount of growth, community interaction and hence, we’re super excited for VALORANT Champions 2022.

Inviting the very best teams from across the entire world, VALORANT Champions this year looks to improve over last year, which was already an incredible event, in order to end Year 2.

Doing so, Riot Games has once again opted for a long format which really helps drive up the hype and makes the event incredible viewable thanks to matches being spread out properly.

Check out the tournament page on esportsguide here.

#1 – PUBG Mobile World Invitational 2022

PMWI 2022
Credits: Tencent
  • Dates: 11th to 13th August
  • Venue: Riyadh Boulevard, Saudi Arabia
  • Organizer: KRAFTON/Tencent Games/ESL/Gamers8
  • Prize: $2,000,000

Topping our list is perhaps a surprising event. Not necessarily the top event of the season, this event is a celebration of competitive PUBG Mobile and mobile esports.

Heading into each PUBG Mobile event, we need to respect the support the esport gets from across the world, especially regions such as South East Asia and Indonesia. So much so, last year the event pushed over 1,000,000 peak viewers and hence, we can’t wait to see how this event looks to push the boundaries for mobile esports.

Also, the incredible prize pool of $2,000,000 also looks to crank things up a notch to a level we’ve never seen before.

Stay up to date with competitive PUBG Mobile here on esportsguide!

Other Events

How to get into Mobile Esports?
Credits: Krafton

To conclude, here are some honorable mentions taking place this summer:

We’ll be sure to provide viewership details for the top events this summer and even afterwards! As a note, remember that the likes of Worlds (LoL) and The International 2022 (Dota 2) kick off in October.

For more esports news, visit: https://www.esportsguide.com/news

BLAST Premier World Final 2022 – Headed to Abu Dhabi

Posted on by Gabriel Sciberras

For those unaware, the BLAST Premier events are an S-Tier circuit of CS:GO competition. Accordingly, culminating in the BLAST Premier World Final, details are emerging. Read on to learn more about this event!

BLAST Premier World Final 2022 – Exciting Details

Credits: BLAST Premier Twitter

Indeed, there’s plenty of time to get excited. Consider the following event details which BLAST revealed in a Tweet:

  • Prize Pool: $1,000,000
  • Participants: 8 seeded teams
  • Dates: 14-18th December 2022
  • Venue: Etihad Arena, Abu Dhabi

Notably, this new venue is no surprise. Specifically, after partnering with Abu Dhabi Gaming, this will likely be the first of many events at this exotic venue.

Naturally, teams will earn their spot by earning BLAST Premier Points available at multiple events across the season. Bearing this in mind, the likes of FaZe Clan and Natus Vincere have already earned a spot.

Credits; BLAST Premier Twitter

Indeed, that leaves multiple spots left for teams to fight for. An opportunity to earn some points will arise next week, at the IEM Cologne Major with up to 3200 BLAST Premier Points on the line.

Accordingly, do note that before the World Final, the following BLAST events will take place:

  • BLAST Premier Fall Groups 2022 – August 19-28th
  • BLAST Premier Fall Finals 2022 – November 23-27th

For more esports news, visit: https://www.esportsguide.com/news

Roobet Cup CS:GO Recap – BIG Take Down FaZe

Posted on by Gabriel Sciberras

Over the past weekend, the CS:GO community enjoyed an organized event by Relog Media. Accordingly, throwing $250,000 up for grabs and inviting some of the best teams in Europe – read on for a concise recap for the Roobet Cup CS:GO!

Roobet Cup CS:GO – Stand-In Surprise

https://twitter.com/BIGCLANgg/status/1542621522111651843
Credits: BIG Twitter

Taking place strictly online, some of the top teams in the continent competed, fighting solely for the prize money in hand. Here’s how the standings concluded:

  • #1 – BIG
  • #2 – FaZe Clan
  • #3-4 – Cloud9, Astralis

Notably, the likes of Natus Vincere and Team Vitality, two of the best teams in the region, did not attend this event.

However, the likes of FaZe Clan, who’ve won multiple events this year and Cloud9 – were both upset!

Credits: BIG Twitter

Accordingly, BIG managed to step up and surprise the entire comunity. This involved a consist performance from the Group Stage, seeding into the Playoffs where they took down teams one by one.

Indeed, beating both Cloud9 and FaZe Clan, they definitely proved their worth.

Bearing this in mind, we’re excited to see how BIG perform at the upcoming Major, IEM Cologne 2022!

For more esports news, visit: https://www.esportsguide.com/news

How to Watch IEM Cologne XVII – teams, format, schedule, streams, predictions

Posted on by Gabriel Sciberras

After the CS:GO majors earlier this year, there’s more to enjoy for competitive CS:GO. Accordingly, the upcoming IEM Cologne XVII next week looks to continue to entertain the community. Indeed, with so much on the line it’s essential to learn how to watch thanks to all the details discussed below!

Event Background

Credits: ESL CS:GO Twitter

For those unaware, for the past few years, Intel has partnered with ESL to host the Intel Extreme Masters – a set of premier events and Majors for CS:GO. In addition to the epic venues and prize pools, the Intel Grand Slam also adds an incredible element.

Furthermore, teams who manage to earn enough wins in a single season will also take home an additional $1,000,000 while others can earn by playing spoiler.

Anyways, this event in particular brings the community to the historic venue of Cologne, in the heart of Germany. Competing offline, we have the best 24 teams in the world fighting for the $1,000,000 prize pool and a series of BLAST Premier Circuit Points too.

Running from 7th July to 17th July, find your competitors listed below according to their level of qualification:

Directly Qualified Teams

  • FaZe Clan
  • Natus Vincere
  • Cloud9
  • G2 Esports
  • Ninjas in Pyjamas
  • ENCE
  • FURIA Esports
  • Team Liquid
ESL Pro League Season 14
Credits: Valve

Play-In Teams

  • Heroic
  • Team Vitality
  • Outsiders
  • GODSENT
  • Complexity Gaming
  • MIBR
  • ORDER
  • TYLOO
  • BIG
  • Astralis
  • Team Spirit
  • Imperial Esports
  • Movistar Riders
  • paiN Gaming
  • MOUZ
  • Sprout

Time to dive into the format!

Format

Specifically, the format is similar to the Majors which have happened in the past – splitting up the competition into a Play-Ins stage and a Main Event stage.

With the Play-Ins kicking off on July 5th and spanning until 6th, the double elimination bracket will feature the 16 teams competing to earn the 8 remaining spots. Considering that all opening matches are BO1, find them listed below:

Credits: ESL Counter-Strike Twitter
  • Heroic vs Sprout
  • MOUZ vs paiN Gaming
  • Team Spirit vs Complexity
  • GODSENT vs Astralis
  • BIG vs ORDER
  • Outsiders vs Imperial Esports
  • MIBR vs Movistar Riders
  • TYLOO vs Team Vitality

Following the opening matches, every game will be a BO3 and once again, only the top 8 will progress to to the Group Stage.

Once at the Group Stage, they’ll join the remaining teams who already qualified to this point. Running from July 7th to 10th, the two GSL double elimination format groups will have 8 teams each.

So far, the Groups have the following teams waiting:

  • A – Natus Vincere, Ninjas in Pyjamas, ENCE, G2 Esports
  • B – FaZe Clan, Team Liquid, Cloud9, FURIA Esports

Seeding into the Playoffs from the Group Stage, once all the BO3 matches are complete, will be as follows:

  • Winners of each Group – Semifinals
  • Runners-Up of each Group – Quarterfinal High Seeds
  • 3rd of each Group – Quarterfinal Low Seeds
Screenshot e
Credits: ESL

Meanwhile, any team below third will not progress.

Finally, the Playoffs will take place between 15h and 17th July, with an exciting and deadly single elimination bracket. Here all matches in the Quarterfinals and Semifinals will be BO3 while the Grand Final will be an epic BO5 match.

Schedule for IEM Cologne XVII

With regards to schedule we highly recommend visiting the official event page here for an updated schedule with times in your very own region.

Watch the IEM Cologne XVII on esportsguide

You can also watch the IEM Cologne XVII live stream via our very own website. Providing an extensive list of the biggest esports together with streams for each esports match live today or upcoming matches.

IEM Cologne XVII

Predictions

Credits: FaZe

Coming off of the last Major, PGL Major Antwerp 2022, it’s clear that two teams are favoured for this event.

Specifically, everyone is silently hoping for another incredible competition between FaZe and NaVi as both hope to take home another Major. However, considering how competitive the scene is, who knows what could happen?

For more esports news, visit: https://www.esportsguide.com/news