ESL One Cologne is always one of the most anticipated CSGO events of the year. While it is not a Major, it is held in the highest regard by Counter-Strike fans and has a history of producing classic clashes.
The quality of players in attendance has historically provided audiences with some memorable matches and ESL One Cologne 2018 - the fifth iteration of the tournament - looks set to be no different.
When is ESL One Cologne 2018?
ESL One Cologne 2018 starts on Tuesday, June 2nd with the group stages. The semi-finals and finals for the group stages are held on July 4th.
The live event begins when the play-offs start on Friday, July 6th, with the semi-finals on July 7th.
The ESL One Cologne 2018 finals (best of five) will start at 2pm UTC on Sunday July 8th.
Which teams will be at ESL One Cologne 2018?
Sixteen leading CSGO teams will be at ESL One Cologne, playing for a share of the $300,000 prize pool.
Group A
- Astralis
- ENCE
- Cloud9
- NiP
- Mousesports
- Gambit
- Na’Vi
- G2
In-depth ESL One Cologne Group A preview
Group B
- FaZe
- BOOT
- MiBR
- RNG
- Fnatic
- North
- BIG
- Team Liquid
In-depth ESL One Cologne Group B preview
The venue
The LANXESS Arena in Cologne Germany is known as "the Cathedral of Counter-Strike". Some 15,000 fans from 62 nations will gather for each of the three live event days.
ESL One Cologne 2018 Schedule
ESL One Cologne will see the introduction of fixed match start times. This means matches will start at the specified times, even if a previous match is over quickly.
ESL One Cologne live event schedule (local times).
Friday, July 6
12:00 - DOORS OPEN
14:25 - PRE SHOW
15:00 - QUARTER FINAL (Best of 3)
18:30 - QUARTER FINAL (BO3)
Saturday, July 7
12:00 - DOORS OPEN
14:25 - PRE SHOW
15:00 - SEMI FINAL (BO3)
18:30 - SEMI FINAL (BO3)
Sunday, July 8
11:00 - DOORS OPEN
12:30 - PRE SHOW
12:45 - EURONICS GAMING VS ALTERNATE ATTAX
15:25 - GRAND FINAL PRE SHOW
16:00 - GRAND FINAL (Best of 5)
ESL One Cologne 2018 live stream
ESL One Cologne 2018 live stream can be found at:
English
French
Italian
Spanish
Turkish
Finnish
ESL One Cologne previous winners
2017: SK Gaming
2016: SK Gaming
2015: Fnatic
2014: NiP
Pictures: Kelly Kline
