IEM Cologne 2023 is finally upon us, and that can only mean one thing. It’s time for the IEM Cologne rankings for every team taking part in the tournament. Whether you’re a casual, a hardcore esports viewer, or a fan looking to take part in CS:GO esports gambling on sites like GGBET, these CS:GO rankings should have something for everyone!

Credit: IEM

IEM Cologne 2o23 Favorites

When you’re looking at CS:GO rankings, there’s no doubt time moves fast. Teams have a strong few months, before falling away and other teams replacing them. However, there’s one constant for a while now that we can’t look past – Heroic. This Danish roster have proven time and time again they can reach the Grand Finals of any competition, establishing themselves as one of the best CS:GO teams in the world. It’s getting over the finish line that has been the issue. If they can put in a good start to the season, Heroic can set themselves up for an incredible rest of 2023.

We’re also curious about Team Vitality and Cloud9, for different reasons. In the case of Vitality, we want to see a big improvement from flameZ if he’s to fill the boots of dupreeh. Early signs are promising, but he can play better than he did in the BLAST Premier Fall Groups. Cloud9’s purchase of Perfecto and electroNic instantly makes them a contender here. There’s just an unfathomable amount of firepower on this roster, with world-class stars sitting in every role. Of course, it’s not a certainty that they’ll instantly hit it off on the server. This means that CS:GO betting sites like GGBET will give you great odds on a new roster like Cloud9.

We’ve got to give mention to FaZe Clan, who have looked strong since the return from the Summer break. IGL karrigan looks like he put the hours in on Deathmatch servers, with his fragging output the best it has been in a long time. When even karrigan is fragging well, FaZe Clan are unstoppable.

Here’s our full CS:GO rankings for the teams at IEM Cologne 2023.

Heroic
Team Vitality
Cloud9
FaZe Clan
NAVI
ENCE
Ninjas in Pyjamas
FURIA
Astralis
Team Liquid
G2 Esports
Monte
Complexity
MOUZ
BIG
Fnatic
OG
9INE
GamerLegion
Apeks
Into The Breach
Imperial
Grayhound Gaming
The MongolZ

Underestimate Heroic at your own peril. Credit: Helena Kristiansson | © ESL

IEM Cologne 2023 Underdogs

Our IEM Cologne rankings simply wouldn’t be complete without discussing the underdogs of the competition. Our BLAST.tv Paris Major Power Rankings struggled to predict the Cinderella stories that would take place in France, and we want to get it right this time around.

We’re particularly invested in the performance of Fnatic in this event, for one reason. Replacing FASHR and nicoodoz with afro and dexter are interesting roster moves, because it allows mezii to be free of the IGL role at last. He’s a star rifler, but he hasn’t been able to play like one due to the burden of IGLing. With mezii finally unleashed, Fnatic should improve massively at IEM Cologne 2023.

mezii’s free role should see some benefits for Fnatic. Credit: Viola Schuldner | © ESL

Then, there’s Into The Breach, who lost CYPHER and volt across Rostermania, replacing them with Bymas and NEOFRAG. The British organization were one of the surprises of the Paris Major, and it will be interesting to see if the replacements can maintain their new-found place among the big boys of competitive Counter-Strike.

We’re also curious about MOUZ in our IEM Cologne rankings. This is a team filled with young players with little experience in Tier-1 CS:GO, but regardless you can see the enormous amount of potential there. If siuhy IGL’s like he did for GamerLegion at the BLAST.tv Paris Major 2023, MOUZ could end IEM Cologne 2023 as one of the massive surprises to emerge from the tournament. MOUZ are a team with a rich history, and it’d be great to see them competing at the top once again.

Finally, we’re calling Team Liquid as our final underdog of IEM Cologne 2023. The new roster began their European journey by failing to qualify from the BLAST Premier Fall Groups 2023, so expectations are low for the team right now. That said, Patsi and Rainwaker showed enough on the server to believe there’s a real project to be built there. One of the main concerns is whether YEKINDAR can step up as IGL. He’s just a young player himself, and as a star rifler he has intentionally harmed his individual stats for the good of the team.