IEM Season IX Cologne: Live Stream, Prize Money and 'League of Legends' Schedule

A battle is brewing in Cologne.

A group of the top League of Legends players is descending upon the fourth-largest city in Germany to wage virtual, fantasy war in the Intel Extreme Masters Season IX's fourth event of the year. The three-day tournament begins Thursday, Dec. 18, and runs until Sunday, Dec. 21.

The total prize pool at stake is $30,000. Here's how the prize money will be divided:

• 1st: $12,500
• 2nd: $6,500
• 3rd/4th: $3,500
• 5th/6th: $2,000

The event will feature a star-studded broadcast led by host Eefje "Sjokz" Depoortere. The 27-year-old Belgian is extremely knowledgeable as it relates to LoL, and she is a veteran in front of the camera for eSports events. She also works with IEM. Most gamers would consider themselves lucky to call Depoortere their gaming partner.

The commentators on hand are as noteworthy as the host: 

• Joe Miller—Electronic Sports League
• Leigh "Deman" Smith—Electronic Sports League
• Brandon "Saintvicious" DiMarco—Intel Extreme Masters
• Mitch "Krepo" Voorspoels—Intel Extreme Masters
• Martin "Deficio" Lynge—Intel Extreme Masters
• Marcel "Dexter" Feldkamp—Intel Extreme Masters

Live Stream Info

For those interested in watching the competition and the broadcast led by the ESL and IEM crew, a Twitch broadcast will keep you from missing a second of the action.

Here's a link to the IEM channel.

New Team

The opening match pits Team Roccat against the Dolphins of Wall Street. Roccat was a late replacement after Team Fnatic withdrew, per IEM. Fnatic announced its departure via Twitter:

The Dolphins of Wall Street won't have an easy win, as Roccat is an accomplished team that came second in the IEM poll. 

Roccat narrowly missed out on earning a spot in the tournament via fan vote initially. Now, it will get an opportunity to prove it belongs in the field.

The Roccat-Dolphins of Wall Street match is the first on the opening day of the tournament, and it begins at 11 a.m. local time and 5 a.m. ET. The early match for each day begins at that time as well. For a full list of the schedule of play, click here.

Be sure to tune in to see who walks away with the winner's share of the $30,000 pool.

Follow Brian Mazique aka FranchisePlay, the Sports Video Game Journalist