ESL One Cologne 2019

The event used Valve's Active Duty map pool. Cache was taken out of the map pool as Valve announced it would be undergoing renovations. Rather than debuting a new Cobblestone, which is normally in the map pool, Valve introduced Vertigo for the first time as part of its competitive map pool.[3]

Two teams from the European qualifier moved on to the main event in Germany. Three teams were invited, one team qualified from winning ESL Meisterschaft: Spring 2019, and four teams qualified from two open qualifiers.

Team Vitality was the favorite all the way and proved so by taking down every team through the winner's side of the bracket. North or HellRaisers were favorites to be the second team to move on, but both teams stumbled on Heroic and AVANGAR. Heroic swept AVANGAR in the loser's final to be the second team to book a ticket to Cologne.[5]

EU Cologne 2019 Qualifier

	Round 1					Round 2					Round 3					Round 4					Finals
	Winner's Bracket
		Team Vitality	2
		Alternate aTTaX	0
							Team Vitality	2
							AVANGAR	0
		OpTic Gaming	1
		AVANGAR	2
												Team Vitality	2
												Heroic	1
		HellRaisers	1
		Heroic	2
							Heroic	2
							North	1
		Chaos Esports Club	0
		North	2																			Team Vitality	Q
																						Heroic	Q
	Loser's Bracket
		Alternate aTTax	0
		OpTic Gaming	2				North	2
							OpTic Gaming	0
												North	0
		HellRaisers	2									AVANGAR	2				Heroic	2
		Chaos Esports Club	1				AVANGAR	2									AVANGAR	0
							HellRaisers	0

One team from the North American qualifier was given a ticket to Cologne. Four teams were invited and another four teams qualified from two different open qualifiers.

North America's qualifier was a toss-up as there were several teams with potential. FURIA Esports fell very early in an upset loss to the newly formed Lazarus Esports roster and compLexity Gaming fell to Lazarus in the next round. Ghost Gaming, also a favorite, defeated Lazarus and awaited its opponent. FURIA made a big run from the loser's side, defeating Bad News Bears, Team Envy, compLexity, and Lazarus to face off against Ghost. Despite Ghost given the 1-0 default lead via coming from the winner's side, FURIA had a relatively easy time and stole the spot away from Ghost.[6]

NA Cologne 2019 Qualifier

	Round 1					Round 2					Round 3					Round 4					Finals
	Winner's Bracket
		Ghost Gaming	2
		ATK	1
							Ghost Gaming	2
							Team Envy	0
		INTZ eSports	1
		Team Envy	2
												Ghost Gaming	2
												Lazarus Esports	1
		Lazarus Esports	2
		FURIA Esports	1
							Lazarus Esports	2
							compLexity Gaming	1
		Bad News Bears	0
		compLexity Gaming	2																			Ghost Gaming	2
																						FURIA Esports	3
	Loser's Bracket
		ATK	2
		INTZ eSports	0				compLexity Gaming	2
							ATK	1
												compLexity Gaming	0
		FURIA Esports	2									FURIA Esports	2				Lazarus Esports	0
		Bad News Bears	1				Team Envy	0									FURIA Esports	2
							FURIA Esports	2

One team from the Asian qualifier qualified for a potential meeting at the Lanxess Arena. Four teams were invited and another four teams qualified from two different open qualifiers.

TyLoo was the favorite, despite its recent inconsistencies, and ViCi Gaming's hot rise put them as another favorite. However, both Chinese teams fell as ViCi was edged out by B.O.O.T-dream[S]cape (B.O.O.T-d[S]) of Singapore and TyLoo was taken down by MVP PK of South Korea. MVP PK swept B.O.O.T-d[S] to book a spot in the finals. TyLoo stormed through the loser's side of the bracket, only to be stumped by MVP PK once again, allowing the Koreans to attend just their second premier tournament of the year.[7]

Asia Cologne 2019 Qualifier

	Round 1					Round 2					Round 3					Round 4					Finals
	Winner's Bracket
		ViCi Gaming	2
		Big Time Regal	0
							ViCi Gaming	1
							B.O.O.T-d[S]	2
		ALPHA Red	0
		B.O.O.T-d[S]	2
												B.O.O.T-[S]	0
												MVP PK	2
		MVP PK	2
		Recca Esports	0
							MVP PK	2
							TyLoo	1
		TyLoo	2
		EHOME	0																			MVP PK	3
																						TyLoo	1
	Loser's Bracket
		Big Time Regal	0
		ALPHA Red	2				TyLoo	2
							Alpha Red	0
												TyLoo	2
		Recca Esports	0									EHOME	0				B.O.O.T-d[S]	0
		EHOME	2				ViCi Gaming	1									TyLoo	2
							EHOME	2

Like the last Cologne qualifier, this invitational determined the final team of the lineup. Seven teams were invited and Team Spirit qualified from a 186 team open qualifier.

As the top ranked team in the world, Team Liquid was the favorite to come out on top while G2 Esports was the favorite to win out its group. However, both teams suffered upsets, with Liquid losing to Spirit and G2 losing to forZe. Both teams bounced back and met in the finals, where Liquid swept G2 to take the last spot at Cologne.[8]

GG.Bet Cologne 2019 Invitational Qualifier

Group A

Pos	Team	W	L	RF	RA	RD	Pts
1	Sprout	2	0	48	24	+24	6
2	Team Liquid	2	1	81	45	+36	6
3	Team Spirit	1	2	47	81	-34	3
4	NoChance	0	2	22	48	-26	0

Group B

Pos	Team	W	L	RF	RA	RD	Pts
1	forZe	2	0	60	41	+19	6
2	G2 Esports	2	1	92	84	+8	6
3	HellRaisers	1	2	88	111	-23	3
4	Movistar Riders	0	2	68	72	-4	0

	Semifinals					Finals
	Sprout		0
	G2 Esports		2
						G2 Esports		0
						Team Liquid		2
	forZe		1
	Team Liquid		2

	Loser's Eighths					Loser's Quarterfinals					Playoff Qualifier
						3	FaZe Clan	0
	8	MVP PK	0			5	mousesports	2
	5	mousesports	2								5	mousesports	1
											4	Natus Vincere	2
						4	Natus Vincere	2
	6	Renegades	0			7	FURIA Esports	0
	7	FURIA Esports	2

Team Liquid kicked off ESL One Cologne 2019 against MVP PK. Liquid was the heavy favorite, but it turned out inexperience on the big stage helped out the Koreans as they completely stumped Liquid at times. However, the North Americans pulled through and just about won the match. The simultaneous match also was a thriller as mousesports took a huge 11-4 lead. However, lead by Oleksandr "s1mple" Kostyliev's 32 kills, Natus Vincere (Na`Vi) pulled a massive comeback to take the game 16-14. Renegades took a 9-6 halftime lead, but this game also was incredibly close. FaZe went on to take a 14-12 lead, Renegades tied it up, but FaZe took the last two rounds to squeeze past the Australians. FURIA Esports was the team that ended Astralis's Nuke win streak, but NRG came prepared on the same map, as it took a 13-2 lead and closed out the game with relative ease. With Na`Vi up 15-11, the CIS team looked to take the first map against Liquid. However, s1mple got greedy with his team in a 3 vs.1 man advantage against Liquid's captain Nicholas "nitr0" Cannella and went for a knife, but instead nitr0 went on to clutch the round. This would prove to be disastrous as Na`Vi lost the map in double overtime. Na`Vi took the next map in close fashion, but Liquid clinched a playoff berth in the third map. In two relatively close maps, NRG knocked FaZe to the lower bracket behind Vincent "Brehze" Cayonte's 47 kills. On the loser's side, MVP PK looked to surprise, but mousesports but an end to it as it easily eliminated the Koreans. FURIA advanced with a sweep against the Renegades with Andrei "arT" Piovezan raking a massive 58 kills. Finn "karrigan" Andersen continued to find success against his old team as mousesports took down FaZe after a close first map and a dominant second map. FURIA looked to have another Cinderella run as it did in Esports Championship Series Season 7, but Na`Vi put an end to that after two very close maps. The two North American teams had a hard-battled winner's finals, but Liquid clutched it out after a back and forth first map and a double overtime second map. In the last group A match, Na`Vi took the first map over mousesports in another double overtime game. mousesports responded with a win on Dust II, but s1mple's 26 kills and Denis "electronic" Sharipov's 23 overran mousesports.

Group A Results

Group A matches
Team Liquid	16	Nuke	14	MVP PK
Natus Vincere	16	Train	14	mousesports
FaZe Clan	16	Mirage	14	Renegades
NRG Esports	16	Nuke	7	FURIA Esports
Team Liquid	22	Dust II	19	Natus Vincere
Team Liquid	14	Overpass	16	Natus Vincere
Team Liquid	16	Mirage	8	Natus Vincere
FaZe Clan	11	Mirage	16	NRG Esports
FaZe Clan	11	Overpass	16	NRG Esports
FaZe Clan	–	Dust II	–	NRG Esports
MVP PK	8	Vertigo	16	mousesports
MVP PK	6	Inferno	16	mousesports
MVP PK	–	Nuke	–	mousesports
Renegades	9	Nuke	16	FURIA Esports
Renegades	9	Mirage	16	FURIA Esports
Renegades	–	Inferno	–	FURIA Esports
FaZe Clan	15	Inferno	19	mousesports
FaZe Clan	8	Mirage	16	mousesports
FaZe Clan	–	Nuke	–	mousesports
Natus Vincere	16	Nuke	12	FURIA Esports
Natus Vincere	16	Overpass	12	FURIA Esports
Natus Vincere	–	Inferno	–	FURIA Esports
Team Liquid	16	Nuke	12	NRG Esports
Team Liquid	22	Inferno	20	NRG Esports
Team Liquid	–	Dust II	–	NRG Esports
mousesports	19	Inferno	22	Natus Vincere
mousesports	16	Dust II	8	Natus Vincere
mousesports	9	Train	16	Natus Vincere

	Loser's Eighths					Loser's Quarterfinals					Playoff Qualifier
						7	Heroic	2
	8	BIG	2			8	BIG	0
	5	MIBR	1								7	Heroic	0
											3	Team Vitality	2
						4	Fnatic	0
	3	Team Vitality	2			3	Team Vitality	2
	2	ENCE Esports	1

Astralis lead off group B with a dominant 16-4 win over BIG. MIBR's struggles continued despite bringing in Lucas "LUCAS1" Teles from Luminosity Gaming as Fnatic's 12-3 lead proved to be too much. Ninjas in Pyjamas (NiP) pulled off an upset against the red hot Team Vitality while Heroic also pulled off an upset against the Major runner-ups ENCE eSports. Astralis had no problem holding off Fnatic as the Danes did not allow the Swedes to get a second half round in either map. NiP booked a playoff spot as its second half performances held Heroic to just one round in each map. MIBR seemed to reach a low point after splitting the first two maps against BIG and then blowing a 12-3 lead and losing in overtime on the third map and the two time Cologne champions were eliminated in last place. ENCE also suffered from disappointment as it could not figure out the firepower of Mathieu "ZywOo" Herbaut and the tactics of Nathan "NBK-" Schmitt. Heroic was able to knock out BIG from the tournament, resulting in Fatih "gob b" Dayik and his team not able to appear in front of its home crowd. Vitality and Fnatic had a very close set as the two games in the series went into overtime. In the end, Vitality held on for both maps. NiP gave Astralis a bit of trouble, but the Danes were able to regain form and took the top seed in group B. On the loser's side, the inconsistent Heroic gave Vitality a run for its money, but the French were able to hang on to head to the Lanxess Arena.

Group B Results

Group B matches
Astralis	16	Overpass	4	BIG
Fnatic	16	Inferno	11	MIBR
Team Vitality	10	Dust II	16	Ninjas in Pyjamas
ENCE eSports	10	Mirage	16	Heroic
Astralis	16	Fnatic	1	Fnatic
Astralis	16	Nuke	6	Fnatic
Astralis	–	Inferno	–	Fnatic
Ninjas in Pyjamas	16	Overpass	5	Heroic
Ninjas in Pyjamas	16	Inferno	10	Heroic
Ninjas in Pyjamas	–	Mirage	–	Heroic
BIG	16	Dust II	11	MIBR
BIG	7	Overpass	16	MIBR
BIG	19	Train	16	MIBR
Team Vitality	16	Overpass	9	ENCE eSports
Team Vitality	12	Nuke	16	ENCE eSports
Team Vitality	16	Inferno	9	ENCE eSports
Heroic	16	Inferno	13	BIG
Heroic	16	Nuke	7	BIG
Heroic	–	Overpass	–	BIG
Fnatic	16	Mirage	19	Team Vitality
Fnatic	17	Overpass	19	Team Vitality
Fnatic	–	Inferno	–	Team Vitality
Astralis	19	Dust II	16	Ninjas in Pyjamas
Astralis	16	Inferno	8	Ninjas in Pyjamas
Astralis	–	Overpass	–	Ninjas in Pyjamas
Heroic	13	Overpass	16	Team Vitality
Heroic	14	Inferno	16	Team Vitality
Heroic	–	Nuke	–	Team Vitality