The Cathedral of Counter-Strike is opening its doors for the biggest edition in its history.
Intel Extreme Masters Cologne 2027 isn’t just returning as our summer flagship ESL Pro Tour Championship event next August. It’s evolving into something bigger than ever before.
Next year, we want to ensure even more fans have a chance to be in the Cathedral to catch those historic moments live. We’re doing that by transforming the LANXESS Arena into a central 360° stage that puts teams at the heart of the action for every fan to see.
We’re throwing out the old blueprint to give fans more action in the arena. By expanding to a 4 day 8-team Single Elimination Playoff Bracket, the competition will start from Thursday and two extra contenders will earn their spot on the main stage to compete in the two additional Quarterfinal matches live in front of the crowd. There will also be a 3rd Place Decider Match right before the Grand Final.
Eight teams. Four days. One legendary arena completely transformed.
Welcome to IEM Cologne 2027.
Additional Information
EPT CHAMPIONSHIP
Tournament info:
Arrival date: August 2nd, 2027
Media date: August 3rd, 2027
Tournament dates: August 4th - 15th, 2027
Departure date: August 16th, 2027
Location:
LANXESS Arena, Cologne, Germany
Tournament environment:
All stages of the tournament will be played in-person on LAN.
VRS Publication for Invites:
Invites will follow the first available monthly VRS publication of June 2027.
VRS Publication for Seeding:
Seeding will follow the first available monthly VRS publication of July 2027.
Invite Exceptions:
Exceptions to invitations will apply if a player is banned by ESL, FACEIT or ESIC.
Slot Distribution
Stage 1 teams
- Global VRS Invite (9th-20th)
- Global VRS Invite (9th-20th)
- Global VRS Invite (9th-20th)
- Global VRS Invite (9th-20th)
- Global VRS Invite (9th-20th)
- Global VRS Invite (9th-20th)
- Global VRS Invite (9th-20th)
- Global VRS Invite (9th-20th)
- Global VRS Invite (9th-20th)
- Global VRS Invite (9th-20th)
- Global VRS Invite (9th-20th)
- Global VRS Invite (9th-20th)
- Wildcard Invite
- Wildcard Invite
- Wildcard Invite
- Wildcard Invite
Stage 2 teams
- Global VRS Invite (1st-8th)
- Global VRS Invite (1st-8th)
- Global VRS Invite (1st-8th)
- Global VRS Invite (1st-8th)
- Global VRS Invite (1st-8th)
- Global VRS Invite (1st-8th)
- Global VRS Invite (1st-8th)
- Global VRS Invite (1st-8th)
Total Winnings: $1,250,000
Place | Prize Money | Club Reward |
|---|---|---|
Total | $1,000,000 | $250,000 |
1st | $420,000 | $80,000 |
2nd | $200,000 | $40,000 |
3rd | $100,000 | $30,000 |
4th | $50,000 | $20,000 |
5th-8th | $25,000 | $15,000 |
9th-12th | $15,000 | $5,000 |
13th-16th | $10,000 | - |
17th-20th | $5,000 | - |
21st-24th | $2,500 | - |
This event counts towards the Annual Club Incentive, read more here.