The organisers of IEM Cologne 2024 have released the tournament brackets for the first and second stages of the championship: Play-In participants have been paired up, and the teams receiving direct invites will await their opponents in the group stage.
The competition will start with the Play-In stage, featuring sixteen teams. In a Double Elimination format, they will compete for eight slots in the group stage.
The group stage will also follow a Double Elimination format. From each group, three teams will advance to the play-offs: the winners will move directly to the semi-finals, while the teams finishing in 2nd and 3rd places will proceed to the quarter-finals.
The play-offs will be held in a Single Elimination format. The organisers have completely removed BO1 matches, so all games will be played in a best-of-three format, with the final being best-of-five.
As a reminder, IEM Cologne 2024 will take place from 7 to 18 August in Cologne, Germany, with 24 teams participating. The event's total prize pool will be $1 million.