ESL have announced IEM Cologne as the first event of their 2014 circuit

This article was originally published on GameSpot's sister site onGamers.com, which was dedicated to esports coverage.

Following their incredibly successful League of Legends event in November, ESL's Cologne-based studio will once again play host for the best players in the world as some of the most impressive SC2 players are bound to descend upon the city.

Aside from the three online qualifiers for the American, European and Asian regions, slots for the event will also be divided amongst the winner of the German ESL Pro Series as well as the four players next in line in terms of WCS points who didn't manage to qualify. The EU qualifier's first stage will also be open for anyone to enter as long as they have a ESL Premium account, leaving the floor open for new talent to compete with some of the most established pros on the planet.

The Ro16 group stage slots will be distributed in the following manner:

EU Qualifier: 3 slots (18th/19th of January)

Asian Qualifier: 2 slots (TBA)

Americas Qualifier: 2 slots (TBA)

Winner of German ESL Pro Series: 1 slot (TBD: 15th of December)

Next in line WCS players who did not qualify: 4 slots

Top players of the Open Bracket: 4 Slots

Image Source: Intel Extreme Masters