Intel Extreme Masters

In the organizer's words:

Counter-Strike in 2024: One of the biggest e-sports tournaments, the Intel® Extreme Masters, returns to Cologne!

Spectator records and sold out six times in a row: Intel® Extreme Masters Cologne is one of the most successful e-sports tournaments in the world

The Intel® Extreme Masters, one of the world's biggest e-sports tournaments, is coming back to Cologne in 2024: The Intel® Extreme Masters Cologne, or IEM Cologne for short, will be held at the LANXESS arena in Cologne from August 16 - 18, 2024. This was announced today by ESL FACEIT Group (EFG), the leading e-sports and videogame entertainment company.

IEM Cologne

Twenty-four of the world's best Counter-Strike teams are here to make history and hope to take home the lion's share of the $1,000,000 total prize pool.

Since 2015, IEM Cologne has been held at Cologne's LANXESS arena, where it sold out for the sixth year in a row. IEM Cologne 2023 broke many records, including recording the highest viewer numbers online and the highest average audience rating of all time. Over 727,000 peak viewers (according to escharts.com) watched the event live in the stream. On-site, more than 37,000 fans from 70 different countries cheered on the world's best Counter-Strike teams.

In the end, German team G2 Esports won IEM Cologne 2023, taking home the prestigious trophy and $400,000 of the $1,000,000 total prize pool.

"It's that time again: we invite fans, teams, players and partners to join us for an eventful Counter-Strike 2024," said Shaun Clark, Senior Director of Game Ecosystems - Counter-Strike. "We are at the beginning of an electrifying new phase in the history of Counter-Strike and as we continue to optimize our ecosystem to reach players of all levels and from all over the world, the ESL Pro Tour program 2024 will also be a new milestone. We look forward to continuing this journey together with all of you."

IEM Cologne is part of the ESL Pro Tour (EPT). EPT is a Counter-Strike tournament series that includes several ESL events. Here, new, semi-professional and professional players compete on different paths and all over the world to make it to the top. With Counter-Strike 2 just around the corner, we're taking the e-sports ecosystem for this popular game title to the next level, so fans, players, and partners alike can look forward to the new e-sports year.