The matchups for the opening stage of IEM Cologne 2025 Stage 1 have been determined. Ninjas in Pyjamas will kick off the tournament with a match against Heroic , while Astralis will face B8 . The initial matches will take place from July 23 to 25, with the top eight teams advancing to the second stage of the tournament.

Other Matchups
FaZe vs BIG
Liquid vs pain
3DMAX vs MIBR
Ninjas in Pyjamas vs Heroic
GamerLegion vs Complexity
TyLoo vs Virtus.pro
Astralis vs B8
FlyQuest vs FURIA Esports

All matches will be played in a best-of-3 format, and the stage will follow a Double Elimination system, where each team needs to secure two victories to advance to the main stage of IEM Cologne 2025.

Stage 2 Seeding
Group A:

Vitality
G2
Falcons
The MongolZ

Group B

Mouz
NAVI
aurora
Spirit

From each group in Stage 2, the top three teams will advance to the playoffs, with their starting position determined by their rank: group winners will go directly to the semifinals, while second and third place teams will start from the quarterfinals. The group stage of the second stage will be played in a Double Elimination format, with all matches in a best-of-3 format.

The tournament playoffs will follow a Single Elimination system: quarterfinals and semifinals will be in a best-of-3 format, and the grand final will be played in a best-of-5 format.

IEM Cologne 2025 will take place from July 26 to August 3 in Cologne, Germany . The tournament prize pool is $1,250,000. You can follow the news, schedule, and results of the tournament via the link.