IEM Cologne Play-Ins Coming to an End

The final matches of the IEM Cologne Play-In stage are set to go down Friday. We catch you up on all the action you may have missed in Cologne. 

IEM Cologne Play-Ins Coming to an End

The first four spots of the IEM Cologne Play-Ins have been claimed after a couple of days filled with exciting games of Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. Sixteen teams came to Cologne to compete in the Play-In stage to try and qualify for the group stage and a shot to be named IEM Cologne 2023 Champions.

The teams had two opportunities to claim a spot in groups, either winning the upper bracket they were seeded into or fighting their way out of the lower bracket. Eight teams now find themselves competing for the last four spots in groups in the lower bracket after MOUZ, Fnatic, Astralis, and Monte won their upper brackets. 

FURIA Esports vs. The MongolZ 

When: Friday, July 28th – 10 AM ET

Odds: FURIA Esports (-325) vs. The MongolZ (+220)

The MongolZ started their tournament run with an extremely close match with MOUZ in a game on Nuke that went into Overtime. Though they fell 22-19, they were able to pick themselves up in the first match of the lower bracket knocking Into The Breach out of the tournament off of a strong 2-0 performance.

FURIA Esports won their first game against Grayhound Gaming 16-11. They then lost to Monte 2-1 the following round in what was ultimately a pretty close map. Though The MongolZ is entering as underdogs, their performance so far has been above expectations, and they’ll want to continue shocking the world. 

Apeks vs. OG 

When: Friday, July 28th – 10 AM ET

Odds: Apeks (-200) vs. OG (+150)

At the same time as the match discussed previously, Counter-Strike fans will also be treated to Apeks vs. OG. OG’s opening match against 9INE was another closely contested match that ventured into Overtime. Unfortunately for OG, they were unable to secure the match falling 17-19. They bounced back in the lower bracket taking down Complexity Gaming 2-0, setting themselves up for a match against Apeks.

Apeks won their initial match against BIG 16-10 before falling to Astralis in a back-and-forth 2-1, which saw the final map go into Overtime. After such a heartbreaking defeat, you can expect Apeks to come out with a fire under their butts. 

9INE vs. Team Liquid 

When: Friday, July 28th – 1:30 PM ET

Odds: 9INE (+142) vs. Team Liquid (-186)

Team Liquid’s tournament run didn’t start as they were hoping, as they were immediately sent to the lower bracket after falling to Astralis 16-10. Their first match in the lower bracket didn’t come easy either, going the distance with BIG in a tough-fought 2-1 match.

Despite the bumpy road to this point, Team Liquid is entering as the betting favorite. 9INE just didn’t show anything in their 0-2 loss to Fnatic after an extremely close match with OG. General fan sentiment is that 9INE will need a big day to take down Team Liquid. 

Ninjas in Pyjamas vs. Imperial Esports

When: Friday, July 28th – 1:30 PM ET

Odds: Ninjas in Pyjamas (-350) vs. Imperial Esports (+250)

Ninjas in Pyjamas started their tournament with a giant win, taking Into The Breach in the biggest win of the opening round of Play-Ins with a score of 16-5. Unfortunately for Ninjas in Pyjamas, they wouldn’t be able to repeat their success against MOUZ, who took down the Ninjas in a somewhat easy 2-0.

Imperial Esports took a tough loss in the opening round, losing to Monte 16-9. They looked much better in their match against Grayhound Gaming, taking them down 2-1.