On Saturday, August 10, our Main team will kick off the prestigious IEM Cologne 2024 with their first face-off in the opening round of Group A. Nicolai "dev1ce" Reedtz, and the squad is fired up and ready to conquer Cologne. They're determined to secure a spot in the playoffs and play on the grand stage in front of thousands of passionate fans.
Before the action unfolds in Cologne, where 16 teams will battle for a share of the impressive $1,000,000 prize pool, be sure to check out our new mini-documentary, "Cologne Revisited." This exclusive feature includes never-before-seen behind-the-scenes footage from last year's IEM Cologne.
At that time, our sports director, Kasper Straube, had just joined Astralis and was setting a new direction for our Main team. The LAN event at the Lanxess Arena was the first major challenge, and you'll get an up-close look at how our former roster made it to the semi-finals, triumphing over Heroic in a highly anticipated match-up—especially as Straube faced his former team for the first time.
Last year, our former roster, led by in-game leader Benjamin "blameF" Bremer, fought their way from the Play-In stage to the semi-finals, making an impressive run through the lower bracket in Group B. Securing a 3rd-4th place finish and $80,000 was one of our best achievements in the fall of 2023 at a major LAN tournament.
Our current roster, featuring dev1ce as the in-game leader, is keen to make a significant impact in Cologne.
We aim to kickstart a successful fall season, building on our strong spring performance with five playoff appearances and four semi-finals.