Intel Extreme Masters Season XVII - Cologne's group stage has ended. The six teams remaining in the playoffs will compete for the championship and the grand prize of $1,000,000.
Let’s take a brief look at the group stage, and continue with the schedule and betting odds of playoff matches.
IEM Cologne 2022 group stage
The team that got through the group stage the most comfortably was FaZe Clan. They advanced to the semifinals of the playoffs without losing a map.
Natus Vincere came first in group A. Even though Movistar Riders came close to starting the playoffs from the semifinals, they could not resist NAVI's comeback.
MOUZ qualified for the playoffs with their comeback against Ninjas in Pyjamas. The other teams that made it to the playoffs were Astralis and Team Liquid.
It was noteworthy that ENCE, Cloud9, Team Vitality and G2 Esports bid adieu to the tournament early.
| Also Read | IEM Cologne Group Stage is over |
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IEM Cologne 2022 playoff schedule
Quarterfinals
- Astralis - MOUZ (July 15 - 15:30 CEST)
- Movistar Riders - Team Liquid (July 15 - 19:00 CEST)
Semifinals
- Natus Vincere - ? (July 16 - 15:30 CEST)
- FaZe Clan - ? (July 16 - 19:00 CEST)
Grand Final
- July 17 - 16:00 CEST
Astralis vs MOUZ
Astralis performed quite well in the group stage. The reason they started the playoffs from the quarterfinals was a 2-0 defeat to FaZe Clan in upper bracket round 3.
Contrary to expectations, their rivals MOUZ eliminated strong teams. Heroic, Team Vitality and Ninjas in Pyjamas were defeated by MOUZ and eliminated from the tournament.
The match between the two teams will undoubtedly be quite competitive. Although their performances lately are not one of their best, we can say that Astralis has a slightly higher chance of winning the match.
Movistar Riders vs Team Liquid
Movistar Riders has performed well above expectations so far. They were victorious over G2 Esports and Team Vitality and then lost to NAVI.
Team Liquid, on the other hand, dropped into the lower bracket as a result of Team Spirit's spectacular comeback. Then they eliminated 00 Nation, Cloud9 and FURIA Esports to get rid of the lower bracket and advanced to the playoffs.
It is quite difficult to predict the winner. While Team Liquid seems to be one step ahead, it is no longer easy to predict what will happen at this stage of the tournament.
The winner between Astralis vs MOUZ match will face NAVI and the winner of Movistar Riders vs Team Liquid match will face FaZe Clan in the semifinals.
Probably a grand final awaits us between NAVI and FaZe Clan but a Team Liquid/Astralis grand finals will also be quite entertaining to watch Stay on Luckbox for answers to all these questions.
