9z to compete in IEM Cologne 2024 group stage; paiN knocks Imperial out of tournament

Maximiliano "max" Gonzalez's squad has secured a ticket to the next stage of IEM Cologne 2024. In a match for reaching the group stage of the tournament, 9z bested MIBR with a scoreline of 2:0 (16:13 on Ancient, 13:2 on Nuke). The André "drop" Abreu-led roster dropped into the lower bracket of Play-In, where they will face Imperial.

In the first losers' round, Imperial lost to paiN with a scoreline of 1:2 (13:10 on Dust2, 10:13 on Vertigo, 7:13 on Inferno) and got relegated from the competition, securing 21st-24th place and $2,500 in prizes.

Note that IEM Cologne 2024 is taking place from August 7 to 18 in Cologne, Germany, with the participation of 24 squads. The event features a total prize pool of $1 million. The winner will also receive tickets to IEM Katowice 2025 and BLAST Premier World Final 2024.

The current play-in bracket looks as follows:

The full schedule and live broadcasts of IEM Cologne 2024 matches are available on the tournament's page via this link.