ESL have announced the complete set of invited teams to IEM Cologne, which will be held from July 7-17th, spanning just a little over a week. The majority of the invitees were determined using their respective ESL Pro Tour points, and among those that will be competing are the two currently highest-ranked teams in the world, FaZe and ENCE.
Rounding out the list of direct group stage participants are big names such as Natus Vincere, FURIA, Cloud9, G2, NIP, and Liquid; with all but Nick “nitr0” Cannella‘s side being included in the top 10 of the HLTV ranking.
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Along with the eight teams who secured qualification to the main group stage of the competition, the 16 other teams that made the play-in stage were announced, with Heroic and Vitality being the biggest headliners of the bunch. Competing alongside them are the likes of MIBR, Complexity, GODSENT, and Outsiders, with Sprout, TYLOO, and ORDER being the biggest outliers among the participating teams.
In addition to those who earned their spots through their ESL Pro Tour points, seven teams also made the cut for the play-in thanks to their world ranking. The list comprises of Astralis, Movistar Riders, BIG, MOUZ, Spirit, Imperial, and paiN.
A notable omission from the list are fan-favorites Encore (formerly Looking For Org), who just missed out on gaining enough points to receive an invite to IEM Cologne, allowing ORDER to claim the top spot of the Oceania region.
The 16 teams that will compete in the IEM Cologne play-in are as follows:
With the play-in teams set, the list for the main event comprises of:
