ESL says CS2 could debut at IEM Cologne: ‘We remain cautiously optimistic’

With all the hype around the CS2 beta, many fans from across the globe have been wondering when the game will be played at the professional level. IEM Cologne, which will run from July 25 to Aug. 6, is one of the first tier-one tournaments following the end of the summer player break—and there’s a chance it will run on CS2 rather than CS:GO.

“We are excited by the prospect of potentially having IEM Cologne be the first top-tier, global Counter-Strike 2 tournament,” ESL told Dot Esports on June 12. “With that said, we will remain cautiously optimistic because we want the game to be in a good playable, and competitive state. This is key for us at such a prestigious tournament where we are looking to crown the world’s best team.”

Related: When is CS2 coming out?

Since Counter-Strike 2 was announced in March, several fans have wondered whether IEM Cologne 2023 would be played on CS:GO or CS2. The German event is historically one of the most important tournaments of the Counter-Strike competitive calendar and fans from every part of the world travel to follow the action live from the LANXESS Arena, also known as the Cathedral of CS.

Coincidentally, all the 24 teams attending IEM Cologne were announced earlier today.

G2, FaZe Clan, Vitality, ENCE, Heroic, Cloud9, Natus Vincere, and GamerLegion have been handed an invite that puts them straight into the group stage, while 16 teams in the form of MOUZ, Apeks, 9INE, FURIA, Team Liquid, The Mongolz, BIG Academy, Fnatic, paiN Gaming, Monte, Ninjas in Pyjamas, FORZE, Astralis, and Into the Breach will begin the event in the play-in stage and only half of them will advance to the group stage.

Given that CS2 is still in beta for just a handful of players and IEM Cologne is set to start in less than 45 days, Valve would have to speed up the process for it to be “playable” as ESL wants. Some community figures like Pimp criticized CS2‘s movement mechanics after the substantial June 6 update, so as tempting as it may be, it seems like we’re still a long way from seeing CS2 at a professional tournament.