IEM IV European Championship Finals

European Championship Finals 14th until 17th of January

 We will split up the European Championship Finals to show you as many matches as possible. From 14th until 17th of January, twelve Counter-Strike and eight World of Warcraft teams will meet in Bruehl, near Cologne in Passwort Cultra. One week later the sixteen best Quake Live duellists will battle for the European Champion title live at the ESL TV studios.
Both events will not be public for visitors but fully covered by ESL TV, so you will not miss any game on your screen. A total of $118,200 is the prize pot the contestants of the European Championship of Intel Extreme Masters Season 4 are competing for. While $44,200 have already been and will be distributed as win bonuses during the regular season awesome $74,000 are at stake in Cologne January 2010.

Additionally to the European Champion titles and the prize money there are 17 World Championship slots available for teams and players from Europe. While the top six of the Counter-Strike and Quake Live tournament will qualify for CeBIT 2010, only the five best World of Warcraft teams will get a ticket for the World Championship.

About Colonge:

Cologne  is Germany's fourth-largest city, and is the largest city both in the German Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia and within the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Area, one of the major European metropolitan areas with more than ten million inhabitants. It is one of the oldest cities in Germany, having been founded by the Romans in the year 38 BC.

Cologne lies on the River Rhine. The city's famous Cologne Cathedral is the seat of the Catholic Archbishop of Cologne. The University of Cologne is one of Europe's oldest universities.

Cologne is a major cultural center of the Rhineland and has a vibrant arts scene. Cologne is home to more than 30 museums and hundreds of galleries. Exhibitions range from local ancient Roman archeological sites to contemporary graphics and sculpture. The Cologne Trade Fair hosts a number of trade shows such as Art Cologne, the International Furniture Fair and the Photokina. Cologne is also well-known for its celebration of Cologne Carnival, the annual reggae summerjam, and the gay/lesbian pride festival Christopher Street Day .

Within Germany, Cologne is known as an important media center. Several radio and television stations, including Westdeutscher Rundfunk, RTL and VOX, have their headquarters in the city. Both Pro7 and Sat.1 produce TV shows in Cologne as well. Further, the city hosts the Cologne Comedy Festival, which is considered to be the largest comedy festival in mainland Europe.