After four days of jaw-dropping action in Groups, six of the world’s best CS:GO teams are making their way towards the Grand Final in the 2021 IEM Cologne Masters Championship. The LAN tournament began on 8 July and will run through this coming Sunday, 18 July, when two of the best CS:GO squads will be gunning for The Chalice in a Bo5 Grand Final.
Join us as we touch base on Groups and dive right into the upcoming IEM Cologne 2021 Play-offs.
CS:GO IEM COLOGNE 2021 — GROUPS RECAP
The main event is drawing to a close, as the crème de la crème of CS:GO elite is heading to play-offs for the ultimate showdown at the Cathedral of Counter-Strike. The last week of competition weeded out 18 of the 24 participating teams, and it looks like the biggest chunk of the massive prize pool is staying on European soil — every single remaining team is representing Europe.
GROUP A
The opening matchup in Group A pitted IEM Katowice 2021 winners Gambit against mousesports, who were relegated despite a solid performance on Map 1. Gambit breezed through Round 2 but ultimately fell short in Round 3, where the title favourites lost to G2 Esports in a deciding Inferno match (14-16). As the two best teams in the group were getting comfortable sitting at the top of the rankings, not all was lost for the relegated teams. Virtus.pro, who lost the first two maps to BIG in Round 1, quickly made their way up the ladder by defeating Complexity and Ninjas in Pyjamas in the first two rounds in the Lower Bracket. The last match in the bracket was THE comeback of the tournament, as VP turned the tides and crushed BIG, taking the German team’s last chance at qualifying for the play-offs.
Who made it? G2 Esports, Gambit Esports and Virtus.pro.
GROUP B
The 2020 World Champions Natus Vincere showed us precisely what champions are made of — the Ukrainian team tore through Groups, defeating Renegades, Team Vitality and Astralis on their merciless way. Heroic, who were one of the favourites to win the competition, were relegated in Round 2 and fell at the hands of FaZe Clan in the last round of combat (Inferno, 10-16). Na`Vi are seeded straight into the semi-finals, where they will be joined by G2 from Group A. The rest of the teams have one more chance to prove their worth in the quarter-finals, and we can’t wait to see who will face the masters of their craft in the semis.
Who made it? Natus Vincere, Astralis and FaZe Clan.
IEM COLOGNE 2021 — PLAY-OFFS FORMAT
➤ The six remaining teams are competing in a single-elimination bracket. All matches in the quarter and semi-finals are Bo3, while the Grand Final is Bo5.
- Group stage winners advance to the semi-finals.
- Group stage runners-up advance to quarter-finals as high seeds.
- Third-place teams will advance as low seeds.
CS:GO IEM COLOGNE — PLAY-OFFS SCHEDULE
Quarter-finals — 16 July
Semi-finals — 17 July
Grand Final — 18 July
IEM COLOGNE 2021 BETTING
As the eliminated teams are packing shattered dreams back into their suitcases and heading home, the top six are getting ready for an unforgettable weekend of explosive action!
Virtus.pro are heading to the Lanxess Arena at 16:00 CEST, and at 7/6 (2.17) to walk off the stage as winners. The Russian team is going up against the Danes Astralis, who are at 7/10 (1.70) to kick off the quarter-finals with a stellar victory and at 7/9 (1.77) to win Map 1.
FaZe Clan may just see the end of their IEM journey in the second matchup of the day. The team is at 21/10 (3.10) to win, but their opponent is none other than heavy-hitter favourites Gambit, who are at 3/8 (1.38) to take up the gauntlet and face Na`Vi in the semi-finals.
Who will make it to the Grand Final and go down in CS:GO history as the first IEM Cologne Champions? Tune in this weekend and watch the action unfold as CS:GO’s best compete for glory (and a hefty sum). While you’re at it, why not back your favourites? Get started on CS:GO match betting and enjoy unbeatable odds at the LV BET Sportsbook, where you’ll find comprehensive IEM Cologne Play-offs and IEM Grand Final betting markets at top CS:GO odds.
Make sure to come back for more! We’ll be covering this year’s biggest CS:GO tournaments, match previews and everything else you need to know about the most competitive esports on the scene.
*Odds subject to change. Odds correct at time of publishing.