IEM Cologne is undisputedly the most anticipated event in the whole of Counter-Strike, excluding majors.
Featuring the best CS2 teams in esports history, such as SK Gaming and Fnatic, the event showcases legendary rivalries and impressive performances.
With world-class talent coming together to face off for the title of champion, we witness history being written before our eyes.
Today, in anticipation of the event, we look back on the previous Cologne champions.
| Year | Winning Team | Prize Money Won | 2nd Place |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | NIP | $100,000 | Fnatic |
| 2015 | Fnatic | $100,000 | Team EnVyUs |
| 2016 | SK Gaming | $500,000 | Team Liquid |
| 2017 | SK Gaming | $100,000 | Cloud9 |
| 2018 | Navi | $125,000 | BIG |
| 2019 | Team Liquid | $125,000 | Team Vitality |
| 2021 | Navi | $400,000 | G2 Esports |
| 2022 | FaZe Clan | $400,000 | Navi |
| 2023 | G2 Esports | $400,000 | ENCE |
| 2024 | Team Vitality | $400,000 | Navi |
| 2025 | Team Spirit | $400,000 | MOUZ |
Image credits: ESL
NIP took down Fnatic 16-13 in an intense decider on Inferno, winning just by the skin of their teeth and handing Fnatic a great defeat.
This was quite the humiliating loss for Fnatic, due to how close the game was. Fnatic was winning 11-10 until Friberg decided to 1v2 Fnatic in such a vital round, turning the game’s conclusion.
This victory solidified NIP’s great heights they had always remained at in the eyes of the counterstrike community and why NIP remains such a sacred part of CSGO history.
NIP are indeed the godfathers of Counterstrike, especially the roster of Cologne 2014, GeT_RiGhT, Xizt, Fifflaren, Friberg, and F0rest. Let’s not forget these guys went on an 87-0 win streak at one point! Their victory at ESL One Cologne 2014 was a significant major title in their career.
Image credits: ESL
Fnatic absolutely dominated EnVyUS in the grand final. KennyS’ AWP, unfortunately, didn’t do EnVyUS much justice…
To put it briefly, Fnatic walked all over EnVyUS. Unfortunately for us, this wasn’t the ultimate matchup we were anticipating.
This was Fnatic’s most infamous line-up. Flusha, aka “Señor VAC,” Olofmeister, JW, Pronax, and Krimz. These are arguably alongside NIP, the founding fathers of CSGO pro history. Just the year before winning dreamhack winter 2013 in Jönköping.
Although this win was incredibly deserved, it led to many changes. Like the slow but sure downfall of the team, ESL Cologne 2015 remains one of the remnants of Fnatic’s proud days that we all still hold so close to our hearts.
Image credits: ESL
The rise of the Brazilian era.
Coldzera, fer, FalleN, TACO, and fnx, made CSGO history. Their victory took place at the iconic LANXESS arena. Winning 2-0 and 16-6 in the final map, shattering team Liquids’ American dream of becoming the champions of Cologne 2016.
SK destroyed Team Liquid by 2-0, showing the fierce authority the Brazilian scene is ready to unleash onto the entirety of the CSGO pro scene.
Ultimately, their victory was seen as a one-off, merely to be left in the sands of time. But they were just getting started.
Image credits: ESL
Same soldiers, different battle, with the addition of Felps!
These men shed blood, sweat, and tears to secure another glorious victory. SK had to overcome tough opponents in the semi finals to reach the grand final. They shut down Cloud9 3-0 and came back on the final map from a 10-4 disadvantage.
The Brazilians carved their names letter by letter into the CSGO scene. They were not to be reckoned with. Even the smoke criminal and shroud couldn’t stop the triumph of FalleN’s AWP and coldzera’s Deagle.
But, after this victory, SK began to fall short, not long after SK decided to disband its roster in 2018.
However, their legacy will last forever.
Image credits: ESL
After a great victory against BIG, it was clear that Smooya and the Germans tried. But their hopes and dreams died at the hands of Navi on the B bombsite of Inferno. Natus Vincere advanced through the upper bracket to reach the grand final.
With s1mple reaching his prime at this point, having Edward and Zeus, Navi was heading for the victory.
What chance did BIG have? Navi was destined to win this event.
This competition was huge, as it was one of the last times this legendary Navi roster played together. Not long after this event, Zeus parted ways from the roster, leaving everyone speechless.
Navi did a great thing here; as we know today, they continued to rule the CSGO scene.
Image credits: ESL
The final winners of ESL One Cologne, before the event, rebranded to IEM Cologne. Team Liquid was one of the top eight teams that advanced from the Play-in Stage to the Group Stage.
Cologne was just one of the many successes for Team Liquid in the year 2019, at this point the team was simply unstoppable.
Captain America, the smoke criminal, the man of hair, EliGE, and NAF all brought tremendous hope to the North American scene and the world.
Team Liquid stomped Vitality with their explosive puggy gameplay, which unfortunately couldn’t be actioned by Zywoo’s AWP.
They destroyed Vitality 16-8, on again the most Puggy map in the game – Mirage,
Liquid went onto slowly but surely burnout, sad it was, but Liquid left their mark on the year of 2019, and each player on that roster will have a piece of our hearts.
The final winners of ESL One Cologne, before the event, rebranded to IEM Cologne.
It was a shame to see them not succeed in the major against Astralis.
Image credits: ESL
Following a dark period for esports, as COVID-19 forced competition online, CSGO returned to LAN in Cologne.
Under a new brand, Intel Extreme Masters, Cologne marked the end of the online era.
The highly anticipated event saw stacked playoffs ending with the dream final: NAVI facing off against G2 Esports.
A rematch of the final LAN event before the world shut down, 2021 saw a repetition of IEM Katowice 2020, as G2 was sent packing without winning a single map.
NAVI started their mini era, culminating at the PGL Stockholm Major, at IEM Cologne, as s1mple won his first of many MVP medals. NAVI’s victory secured them the prestigious EPT Championship title.
Image credits: ESL
Robin “ropz” Kool made an immediate impact after joining FaZe Clan. The Estonian star made his official debut after a two-month break to start 2022 by going undefeated in the BLAST Spring Groups. This kickstarted a run that led the team to first-place finishes in IEM Katowice 2022, ESL Pro League Season 15, and the 2022 Antwerp Major.
The team’s momentum slowed heading into the summer and while that still would’ve marked the best run in FaZe’s Counter-Strike history, it recovered and won IEM Cologne 2022.
By winning Katowice, Cologne, and a major, FaZe Clan cemented an all-time great year in Counter-Strike. It was also a rare instance of FaZe’s strategy of splashy signings paying off, with ropz joining an exceptional IGL in Finn “karrigan” Andersen, hotshot AWPer in Helvijs “broky” Saukants, and superstar Russel “Twistzz” Van Dulken combining to make a consistently successful squad.
Image credits: ESL
2022 was an awkward year for G2 Esports, with the team posting mixed results as it pulled out its final roots in France. The early read on these efforts were positive though, with the team winning the 2022 BLAST World Finals and IEM Katowice 2023.
But things took a turn from there. A disappointing group stage elimination in the BLAST Paris Major and mixed results throughout the summer suggested that the new G2 was a flash in the pan. That changed at IEM Cologne.
Despite being something of an underdog, the one-two punch of Nikola “NiKo” Kovač and Ilya “m0NESY” Osipov proved to be unstoppable at the event. The duo were the top-rated players of the tournament and propelled G2 to an undefeated run in the tournament.
Image credits: ESL
Player breaks often shake up the pro scene and Team Vitality was seemingly a major victim of this in 2024. The team enjoyed a very good 2023 packed with first-place finishes, but settled into a bridesmaid position throughout 2024. The team was still generally strong, consistently making it into the playoffs of tournaments, but it wasn’t taking home any trophies.
Vitality’s strength throughout the year still marked the team as a serious contender. Still, the memory of the team stumbling at IEM Cologne 2023’s finish line tamped enthusiasm. Still, if there’s one tournament a team can win per year, IEM Cologne is one of the best ones to win.
That’s exactly what Vitality did, too. Despite facing stiff competition, Vitality earned itself a direct semifinals berth. From there, Mathieu “ZywOo” Herbaut posted an extraordinary individual effort in the finals to help Vitality bring home the championship.
Image credits: ESL
Vitality was seemingly poised to become the second team to post back-to-back IEM Cologne championships. The team took home the top prize in almost every tournament it played in during the year. What’s more, it was also coming in hot after winning the BLAST Austin Major and had a six-month-long winning streak in multi-game matches.
That run shockingly ended when MOUZ beat them in the semifinals. This positioned MOUZ for a storybook finish where it toppled a team that bullied it all year, then took home one of the biggest prizes in the game. Team Spirit didn’t get the memo, though.
Spirit was the top-ranked team entering the year, but fell behind Vitality and MOUZ as they took grand finals spots in almost every notable tournament. At IEM Cologne, Spirit took advantage of them playing in the semifinals and beat MOUZ with a convincing 3-0. The impressive win kicked off a run that set up Team Spirit to reclaim its spot as the best team in Counter-Strike.
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