Wikipedia

IEM Cologne Major 2026

(Redirected from Draft:IEM Cologne Major 2026)

The Intel Extreme Masters Cologne Major 2026, simply known as IEM Cologne Major 2026, will be the fifth Counter-Strike 2 Major Championship and twenty-fourth Counter-Strike Major overall. It will be held in Cologne, Germany from June 2 to June 21, 2026, with the playoffs held at the Lanxess Arena, while each Stage 3 match will be held in front of live audiences at the Palladium.[1] The Major will involve 32 teams, with each team directly invited to the event. It will feature a prize pool of US$1,250,000.[2]

IEM Cologne Major 2026
2026
Tournament information
GameCounter-Strike 2
LocationCologne, Germany
DatesJune 2–21, 2026
AdministratorValve
ESL
FormatThree 16-team Swiss-system group stages
8-team single-elimination playoff
HostESL
VenuePalladium (Stage 3)
Lanxess Arena (Playoffs)
Teams32
Defending championsTeam Vitality
PurseUS$1,250,000
← Budapest 2025
Singapore 2026 →

Background

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Counter-Strike 2 is a multiplayer first-person shooter video game developed by Valve Corporation. It is the fifth game in the Counter-Strike series. In professional Counter-Strike, the Valve-sponsored Majors are considered the most prestigious tournaments.[3]

The Major was announced August 3, 2025 after the final of that year's IEM Cologne tournament, and will be the eighth organized by ESL, after last hosting Rio 2022.[2]

Team Vitality are the Major's back-to-back defending champions, following a 2–1 victory over The MongolZ at Austin 2025 and a 3–1 victory over FaZe Clan at Budapest 2025, the most recent Major.[4]

Format

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The tournament involves three Swiss-system group stages before an eight-team single-elimination playoffs. The Major featured 32 teams directly invited according to their Valve Regional Standings (VRS). Eight teams are eliminated from each Swiss-system stage before the final eight teams compete in a single-elimination playoff bracket to determine a champion. Each match after the initial matchups of each stage and the initial matchups of the Playoffs Stage are seeded according to teams' Buchholz score.

In the first two stages, all matches except for progression or elimination matches, which are played as bests-of-three, are played in a best-of-one format. For the first time, all Stage 3 matches will be played as best-of-three series.[5] Additionally, each Stage 3 match will be held in front of live audiences at the Palladium.[1] Each match in the Playoffs Stage before the grand final is played in a best-of-three format, with the final being a best-of-five.

Map pool

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On January 22, 2026, Valve released an update replacing Train with Anubis in the Active Duty map pool used for Majors.[6]

Talent

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On May 29, 2026, ESL announced the full talent lineup for the Major.[7]

Hosts

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Analysts

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Casters

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  • Chad "SPUNJ" Burchill
  • Alex "Machine" Richardson
  • Harry "JustHarry" Russell
  • Hugo Byron
  • Jason "moses" O'Toole
  • Adam "Dinko" Hawthorne
  • Conner "Scrawny" Girvan
  • Mohan "launders" Govindasamy

Teams

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Qualification

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Invites to the Major were distributed to each region according to their performance at Budapest 2025, with the number for each region past Stage 1 determined by the number of teams of each region that advanced to the next Stage. The 11 highest ranked European teams in the Valve Regional Standings (VRS) were invited to Stages 2 and 3, with five in Stage 2 and six in Stage 3. As no Asian teams advanced to Stage 2 at Budapest, Asia loses its Stage 2 slot, but retains its Stage 3 invite. The Americas region loses a Stage 3 invite but receives an additional Stage 2 invite. The distribution of Stage 1 invites remain the same as in Budapest.[8]

Invites

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Below are the invited teams, according to their Valve Regional Standing as of April 6, 2026.[9] ESL confirmed the invites on April 7.[10]

Region Qualified Stage
Stage 1 Stage 2 Stage 3
Europe
Americas
Asia
  • TYLOO
  • Lynn Vision Gaming
  • THUNDER dOWNUNDER
  • FlyQuest
 N/a
  • The MongolZ

Rosters

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Below are the rosters for each qualified team, as confirmed on April 22, 2026.[11]

Legends

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The Legends rosters includes the eight teams directly invited to Stage 3 of the Major.

Challengers

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The Challengers rosters includes the eight teams directly invited to Stage 2 of the Major.

Contenders

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The Contenders rosters includes the sixteen teams directly invited to Stage 1 of the Major.

  1. ↑ Result of roster change following the benching of kyxsan on April 20.[12]
  2. ↑ Result of roster change following the benching of Jimpphat on April 18.[13]
  3. 1 2 Will not attend.[14]
  4. ↑ Stepped down for personal reasons on April 6.[15]
  5. ↑ Replaced S1ren who will reportedly return to the roster at a later stage.[16]
  6. ↑ Replaced felps following the termination of his contract on April 16.[17]

Stage 1

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Stage 1 will feature sixteen directly invited teams based on their global Valve Regional Standings, competing in a Swiss-system bracket. Teams will be initially seeded according to their Valve Regional Standing, with further matches seeded according to a team's Buchholz score. Teams with equal Buchholz scores will be seeded according to their initial place in Round 1.

Sixteen teams will compete for eight Stage 2 spots, with all matches besides elimination and progression matches, which are best-of-three, being best-of-one.

Stage 1 will be played from June 2 to June 5, 2026.

Pos Team W L RW RL RD BS Qualification
1 B8 3 0 61 48 +13 1 Qualification
to Stage 2
2 BetBoom 3 0 52 23 +29 -2
3 GamerLegion 3 1 65 72 -7 4
4 M80 3 1 83 65 +18 -1
5 MIBR 3 1 61 44 +17 -3
6 TYLOO 3 2 107 93 +14 -1
7 BIG 3 2 102 83 +19 -5
8 FlyQuest 3 2 89 62 +27 -5
9 Liquid 2 3 67 78 -11 5
10 NRG 2 3 85 96 -11 3
11 Lynn Vision 2 3 53 81 -28 1
12 THUNDER dOWNUNDER 1 3 44 58 -14 7
13 Sharks 1 3 52 68 -16 0
14 HEROIC 1 3 63 63 +0 -7
15 Gaimin Gladiators 0 3 16 52 -36 2
16 SINNERS 0 3 44 58 -14 1
Updated to match(es) played on June 5, 2026. Source:

Results

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Round 1

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0–0 June 2 M80 1 – 0 Lynn Vision Cologne  
12:30 CET    HLTV  
13 Inferno 8
0–0 June 2 SINNERS 0 – 1 FlyQuest Cologne  
12:30 CET    HLTV  
14 Ancient 16
0–0 June 2 B8 1 – 0 TYLOO Cologne  
13:30 CET    HLTV  
13 Mirage 6
0–0 June 2 MIBR 0 – 1 THUNDER dOWNUNDER Cologne  
13:30 CET    HLTV  
6 Inferno 13
0–0 June 2 GamerLegion 1 – 0 NRG Cologne  
14:30 CET    HLTV  
13 Inferno 10
0–0 June 2 HEROIC 0 – 1 Sharks Cologne  
14:30 CET    HLTV  
10 Nuke 13
0–0 June 2 BetBoom 1 – 0 Gaimin Gladiators Cologne  
15:30 CET    HLTV  
13 Dust 2 4
0–0 June 2 BIG 0 – 1 Liquid Cologne  
15:30 CET    HLTV  
10 Nuke 13

Round 2

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1–0 June 2 B8 1 – 0 THUNDER dOWNUNDER Cologne  
17:35 CET    HLTV  
13 Dust II 11
1–0 June 2 GamerLegion 1 – 0 FlyQuest Cologne  
19:30 CET    HLTV  
13 Inferno 11
1–0 June 2 M80 1 – 0 Sharks Cologne  
19:30 CET    HLTV  
13 Mirage 6
1–0 June 2 BetBoom 1 – 0 Liquid Cologne  
20:30 CET    HLTV  
13 Dust II 9
0–1 June 2 HEROIC 0 – 1 Lynn Vision Cologne  
17:30 CET    HLTV  
11 Dust II 13
0–1 June 2 MIBR 1 – 0 TYLOO Cologne  
18:45 CET    HLTV  
16 Nuke 14
0–1 June 2 SINNERS 0 – 1 NRG Cologne  
18:45 CET    HLTV  
6 Nuke 13
0–1 June 2 BIG 1 – 0 Gaimin Gladiators Cologne  
20:30 CET    HLTV  
13 Nuke 1

Round 3

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2–0 June 3 GamerLegion 0 – 2 BetBoom Cologne  
16:30 CET    HLTV  
2 Nuke 13
8 Ancient 13
– Mirage –
2–0 June 3 M80 0 – 2 B8 Cologne  
19:00 CET    HLTV  
11 Ancient 13
20 Inferno 22
– Dust II –
1–1 June 3 NRG 1 – 0 FlyQuest Cologne  
14:30 CET    HLTV  
13 Mirage 10
1–1 June 3 Sharks 0 – 1 Lynn Vision Cologne  
14:30 CET    HLTV  
5 Overpass 13
1–1 June 3 Liquid 0 – 1 MIBR Cologne  
15:30 CET    HLTV  
10 Mirage 13
1–1 June 3 THUNDER dOWNUNDER 0 – 1 BIG Cologne  
15:30 CET    HLTV  
7 Inferno 13
0–2 June 3 TYLOO 2 – 0 SINNERS Cologne  
16:30 CET    HLTV  
16 Ancient 14
13 Inferno 10
– Mirage –
0–2 June 3 Gaimin Gladiators 0 – 2 HEROIC Cologne  
19:00 CET    HLTV  
5 Dust II 13
6 Inferno 13
– Nuke –

Round 4

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2–1 June 4 GamerLegion 2 – 0 BIG Cologne  
16:30 CET    HLTV  
16 Overpass 14
13 Ancient 11
— Mirage —
2–1 June 4 MIBR 2 – 0 Lynn Vision Cologne  
16:30 CET    HLTV  
13 Anubis 5
13 Inferno 2
— Nuke —
2–1 June 4 M80 2 – 0 NRG Cologne  
19:00 CET    HLTV  
13 Ancient 6
13 Inferno 10
— Mirage —
1–2 June 4 THUNDER dOWNUNDER 0 – 2 FlyQuest Cologne  
14:00 CET    HLTV  
10 Anubis 13
3 Inferno 13
— Dust II —
1–2 June 4 TYLOO 2 – 1 Sharks Cologne  
14:00 CET    HLTV  
6 Nuke 13
13 Inferno 5
13 Anubis 10
1–2 June 4 Liquid 2 – 0 HEROIC Cologne  
19:00 CET    HLTV  
13 Nuke 5
13 Inferno 11
— Dust II —

Round 5

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2–2 June 5 TYLOO 2 – 0 Lynn Vision Cologne  
14:00 CET    HLTV  
13 Ancient 5
13 Inferno 7
— Overpass —
2–2 June 5 Liquid 0 – 2 FlyQuest Cologne  
16:30 CET    HLTV  
2 Anubis 13
7 Inferno 13
— Ancient —
2–2 June 5 NRG 1 – 2 BIG Cologne  
19:00 CET    HLTV  
5 Dust II 13
16 Nuke 12
12 Mirage 16

Stage 2

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Stage 2 will feature eight directly invited teams based on their Valve Regional Standings as well as eight teams qualified from Stage 1, competing in a Swiss-system bracket. Invited teams will be initially seeded according to their global Valve Regional Standing, while the eight teams qualified from Stage 2 will be seeded according to their final Buchholz score from Stage 1, with further matches seeded according to a team's Buchholz score in Stage 2. Teams with equal Buchholz scores will be seeded according to their initial place in Round 2.

Sixteen teams will compete for eight Stage 3 spots, with all matches besides elimination and progression matches, which are best-of-three, being best-of-one.

Stage 2 will be played from June 6 to June 9, 2026.

Pos Team W L RW RL RD BS Qualification
1 FUT 3 0 59 48 +11 2 Qualification
to Stage 3
2 Spirit 3 0 52 10 +42 2
3 G2 3 1 89 71 +18 1
4 BetBoom 3 1 63 52 +11 -1
5 9z 3 1 56 56 +0 -3
6 Monte 3 2 73 73 +0 3
7 B8 3 2 121 119 +2 -5
8 Legacy 3 2 87 65 +22 -7
9 TYLOO 2 3 62 80 -18 3
10 BIG 2 3 72 89 -17 1
11 paiN 2 3 86 84 +2 -6
12 M80 1 3 44 65 -21 6
13 MIBR 1 3 53 67 -14 4
14 Astralis 1 3 39 53 -17 -3
15 FlyQuest 0 3 33 52 -19 2
16 GamerLegion 0 3 48 60 -12 1
Updated to match(es) played on June 9, 2026. Source:

Results

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Round 1

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0–0 June 6 Astralis 1 – 0 GamerLegion Cologne  
12:30 CET    HLTV  
13 Ancient 4
0–0 June 6 9z 1 – 0 FlyQuest Cologne  
12:30 CET    HLTV  
13 Dust II 9
0–0 June 6 FUT 1 – 0 B8 Cologne  
13:30 CET    HLTV  
13 Ancient 11
0–0 June 6 paiN 0 – 1 TYLOO Cologne  
13:30 CET    HLTV  
9 Mirage 13
0–0 June 6 G2 1 – 0 M80 Cologne  
14:30 CET    HLTV  
13 Mirage 8
0–0 June 6 Monte 1 – 0 BIG Cologne  
14:30 CET    HLTV  
13 Mirage 8
0–0 June 6 Spirit 1 – 0 BetBoom Cologne  
15:30 CET    HLTV  
13 Mirage 5
0–0 June 6 Legacy 0 – 1 MIBR Cologne  
15:30 CET    HLTV  
8 Nuke 13

Round 2

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1–0 June 6 FUT 1 – 0 TYLOO Cologne  
17:30 CET    HLTV  
13 Overpass 9
1–0 June 6 Astralis 0 – 1 9z Cologne  
17:30 CET    HLTV  
5 Nuke 13
1–0 June 6 G2 1 – 0 Monte Cologne  
18:30 CET    HLTV  
22 Mirage 19
1–0 June 6 Spirit 1 – 0 MIBR Cologne  
20:30 CET    HLTV  
13 Mirage 1
0–1 June 6 paiN 0 – 1 BIG Cologne  
18:30 CET    HLTV  
9 Overpass 13
0–1 June 6 BetBoom 1 – 0 GamerLegion Cologne  
19:30 CET    HLTV  
13 Nuke 9
0–1 June 6 Legacy 1 – 0 FlyQuest Cologne  
19:30 CET    HLTV  
13 Dust II 7
0–1 June 6 B8 0 – 1 M80 Cologne  
20:30 CET    HLTV  
10 Mirage 13

Round 3

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2–0 June 7 G2 1 – 2 FUT Cologne  
19:00 CET    HLTV  
11 Anubis 13
13 Overpass 7
4 Ancient 13
2–0 June 7 Spirit 2 – 0 9z Cologne  
19:00 CET    HLTV  
13 Mirage 3
13 Nuke 1
— Dust II —
1–1 June 7 Monte 1 – 0 Legacy Cologne  
14:30 CET    HLTV  
13 Ancient 11
1–1 June 7 Astralis 0 – 1 TYLOO Cologne  
14:30 CET    HLTV  
6 Nuke 13
1–1 June 7 BetBoom 1 – 0 M80 Cologne  
15:30 CET    HLTV  
13 Dust II 2
1–1 June 7 MIBR 0 – 1 BIG Cologne  
15:30 CET    HLTV  
8 Inferno 13
0–2 June 7 B8 2 – 1 GamerLegion Cologne  
16:30 CET    HLTV  
13 Inferno 11
8 Mirage 13
13 Nuke 11
0–2 June 7 FlyQuest 0 – 2 paiN Cologne  
16:30 CET    HLTV  
7 Nuke 13
10 Anubis 13
— Dust II —

Round 4

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2–1 June 8 Monte 1 – 2 BetBoom Cologne  
16:30 CET    HLTV  
7 Nuke 13
13 Mirage 6
8 Dust II 13
2–1 June 8 TYLOO 0 – 2 9z Cologne  
16:30 CET    HLTV  
10 Overpass 13
6 Inferno 13
— Nuke —
2–1 June 8 G2 2 – 0 BIG Cologne  
19:00 CET    HLTV  
13 Inferno 3
13 Mirage 8
— Overpass —
1–2 June 8 Astralis 0 – 2 paiN Cologne  
14:00 CET    HLTV  
11 Nuke 13
4 Overpass 13
— Mirage —
1–2 June 8 MIBR 1 – 2 B8 Cologne  
14:00 CET    HLTV  
13 Mirage 7
10 Nuke 13
8 Ancient 13
1–2 June 8 M80 0 – 2 Legacy Cologne  
19:00 CET    HLTV  
8 Dust II 13
13 Inferno 16
— Mirage —

Round 5

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2–2 June 9 Monte 2 – 0 paiN Cologne  
14:00 CET    HLTV  
13 Nuke 5
13 Dust II 11
— Mirage —
2–2 June 9 Legacy 2 – 0 TYLOO Cologne  
16:30 CET    HLTV  
13 Mirage 7
13 Inferno 4
— Nuke —
2–2 June 9 BIG 1 – 2 B8 Cologne  
19:00 CET    HLTV  
13 Ancient 7
6 Overpass 13
8 Dust II 13

Stage 3

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The Palladium concert hall wherein Stage 3 matches will be played.

Stage 3 will feature eight directly invited teams based on their Valve Regional Standings as well as eight teams qualified from Stage 2, competing in a Swiss-system bracket. Invited teams will be initially seeded according to their global Valve Regional Standing, while the eight teams qualified from Stage 2 will be seeded according to their final Buchholz score from Stage 2, with further matches seeded according to a team's Buchholz score in Stage 3. Teams with equal Buchholz scores will be seeded according to their initial place in Round 3.

Sixteen teams will compete for eight Playoffs Stage spots, with all matches being best-of-three for the first time at a Major.[18]

On June 13, following their 2–0 victory over PARIVISION, ESL barred Legacy coach Alan "adrrr" Riveros from further participation in the Major after receiving multiple warnings for communicating with players outside of timeouts.[19]

Stage 3 is being played from June 11 to June 15, 2026, at the Palladium.

Pos Team W L RW RL RD BS Qualification
1 Spirit 3 0 105 74 +31 2 Qualification
to Playoffs Stage
2 FURIA 3 0 83 51 +32 -5
3 Aurora 3 1 100 73 +27 3
4 Vitality 3 1 123 98 +25 -1
5 Falcons 3 1 136 124 +12 -1
6 BetBoom 3 2 120 117 +3 5
7 9z 3 2 139 142 -3 3
8 G2 3 2 147 140 +7 0
9 Natus Vincere 2 3 141 151 -10 3
10 FUT 2 3 136 153 -17 -1
11 The MongolZ 2 3 142 148 -6 -4
12 MOUZ 1 3 108 111 -3 2
13 Monte 1 3 113 125 -12 0
14 Legacy 1 3 68 103 -35 -5
15 B8 0 3 64 91 -27 1
16 PARIVISION 0 3 75 99 -24 -3
Updated to match(es) played on June 15, 2026. Source:

Results

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Round 1

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0–0 June 11 PARIVISION 1 – 2 9z Cologne  
11:00 CET    HLTV Palladium  
1 Overpass 13
13 Dust II 8
9 Inferno 13
0–0 June 11 The MongolZ 1 – 2 BetBoom Cologne  
11:00 CET    HLTV Palladium  
13 Dust II 11
6 Mirage 13
11 Ancient 13
0–0 June 11 Vitality 2 – 1 FUT Cologne  
13:30 CET    HLTV Palladium  
5 Anubis 13
13 Overpass 2
13 Nuke 8
0–0 June 11 MOUZ 2 – 0 Legacy Cologne  
13:30 CET    HLTV Palladium  
13 Dust II 5
13 Nuke 6
— Mirage —
0–0 June 11 Falcons 2 – 1 G2 Cologne  
16:00 CET    HLTV Palladium  
10 Inferno 13
13 Dust II 8
16 Ancient 13
0–0 June 11 FURIA 2 – 0 B8 Cologne  
16:00 CET    HLTV Palladium  
13 Mirage 10
13 Inferno 4
— Nuke —
0–0 June 11 Natus Vincere 0 – 2 Spirit Cologne  
18:30 CET    HLTV Palladium  
1 Dust II 13
8 Anubis 13
— Mirage —
0–0 June 11 Aurora 2 – 0 Monte Cologne  
18:30 CET    HLTV Palladium  
13 Nuke 10
13 Anubis 7
— Dust II —

Round 2

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1–0 June 12 FURIA 2 – 1 MOUZ Cologne  
11:00 CET    HLTV Palladium  
13 Nuke 5
5 Inferno 13
13 Overpass 7
1–0 June 12 Falcons 0 – 2 BetBoom Cologne  
16:00 CET    HLTV Palladium  
11 Nuke 13
10 Ancient 13
— Dust II —
1–0 June 12 Aurora 1 – 2 Spirit Cologne  
18:30 CET    HLTV Palladium  
13 Dust II 9
4 Anubis 13
5 Nuke 13
1–0 June 12 Vitality 1 – 2 9z Cologne  
18:30 CET    HLTV Palladium  
13 Inferno 4
9 Mirage 13
11 Dust II 13
0–1 June 12 The MongolZ 2 – 0 B8 Cologne  
11:00 CET    HLTV Palladium  
16 Mirage 14
13 Overpass 3
— Dust II —
0–1 June 12 FUT 1 – 2 G2 Cologne  
13:30 CET    HLTV Palladium  
5 Overpass 13
13 Ancient 6
9 Mirage 13
0–1 June 12 PARIVISION 1 – 2 Monte Cologne  
13:30 CET    HLTV Palladium  
13 Mirage 7
9 Ancient 13
5 Inferno 13
0–1 June 12 Natus Vincere 2 – 0 Legacy Cologne  
16:00 CET    HLTV Palladium  
13 Inferno 4
13 Ancient 10
— Mirage —

Round 3

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2–0 June 13 BetBoom 0 – 2 FURIA Cologne  
19:40 CET    HLTV Palladium  
6 Overpass 13
6 Dust II 13
— Nuke —
2–0 June 13 Spirit 2 – 1 9z Cologne  
20:55 CET    HLTV Palladium  
12 Overpass 16
16 Mirage 13
16 Dust II 14
1–1 June 13 Natus Vincere 2 – 1 The MongolZ Cologne  
11:00 CET    HLTV Palladium  
8 Nuke 13
16 Ancient 13
13 Mirage 6
1–1 June 13 Falcons 2 – 1 Monte Cologne  
14:15 CET    HLTV Palladium  
13 Inferno 9
11 Dust II 13
13 Mirage 10
1–1 June 13 Aurora 2 – 0 G2 Cologne  
14:20 CET    HLTV Palladium  
13 Overpass 8
13 Anubis 7
— Inferno —
1–1 June 13 Vitality 2 – 1 MOUZ Cologne  
16:35 CET    HLTV Palladium  
13 Mirage 9
7 Dust II 13
13 Inferno 4
0–2 June 13 B8 1 – 2 FUT Cologne  
11:00 CET    HLTV Palladium  
13 Dust II 10
9 Mirage 13
11 Ancient 13
0–2 June 13 PARIVISION 0 – 2 Legacy Cologne  
17:45 CET    HLTV Palladium  
12 Inferno 16
13 Dust II 16
— Mirage —

Round 4

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2–1 June 14 BetBoom 0 – 2 Vitality Cologne  
16:30 CET    HLTV Palladium  
8 Overpass 13
11 Nuke 13
— Mirage —
2–1 June 14 Aurora 2 – 0 9z Cologne  
16:30 CET    HLTV Palladium  
13 Nuke 1
13 Dust II 5
— Inferno —
2–1 June 14 Natus Vincere 1 – 2 Falcons Cologne  
19:00 CET    HLTV Palladium  
3 Dust II 13
13 Mirage 7
16 Anubis 19
1–2 June 14 MOUZ 1 – 2 FUT Cologne  
14:00 CET    HLTV Palladium  
11 Ancient 13
13 Nuke 10
7 Mirage 13
1–2 June 14 The MongolZ 2 – 1 Monte Cologne  
14:00 CET    HLTV Palladium  
9 Nuke 13
13 Inferno 7
13 Dust II 11
1–2 June 14 G2 2 – 0 Legacy Cologne  
19:00 CET    HLTV Palladium  
13 Dust II 7
13 Overpass 4
— Inferno —

Round 5

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2–2 June 15 9z 2 – 0 The MongolZ Cologne  
14:00 CET    HLTV Palladium  
13 Inferno 8
13 Overpass 8
— Dust II —
2–2 June 15 BetBoom 2 – 0 FUT Cologne  
16:30 CET    HLTV Palladium  
13 Mirage 7
13 Dust II 7
— Overpass —
2–2 June 15 Natus Vincere 1 – 2 G2 Cologne  
19:00 CET    HLTV Palladium  
13 Dust II 11
14 Inferno 16
10 Mirage 13

Playoffs stage

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The Lanxess Arena wherein the Playoffs matches will be played.

The top eight teams from Stage 3 will advance to a single-elimination bracket. Teams will be seeded according to their final Buchholz score earned in Stage 3. Each match in the Playoffs Stage before the grand final is played in a best-of-three format, with the final being a best-of-five.

The Playoffs Stage will be played between June 18 and June 21, 2026, at the Lanxess Arena.

Quarterfinals Semifinals Finals
                    
1 Spirit
8 G2
 
 
5 Falcons
4 Vitality
 
 
3 Aurora
6 BetBoom
 
 
7 9z
2 FURIA

Results

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Quarterfinals

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Quarterfinal 1 June 18 Aurora v BetBoom Cologne  
15:45 CET    HLTV Lanxess Arena  
— TBD —
— TBD —
— TBD —
Quarterfinal 2 June 18 9z v FURIA Cologne  
19:00 CET    HLTV Lanxess Arena  
— TBD —
— TBD —
— TBD —
Quarterfinal 3 June 19 G2 v Spirit Cologne  
15:45 CET    HLTV Lanxess Arena  
— TBD —
— TBD —
— TBD —
Quarterfinal 4 June 19 Falcons v Vitality Cologne  
19:00 CET    HLTV Lanxess Arena  
— TBD —
— TBD —
— TBD —

Semifinals

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Semifinal 1 June 20 Aurora or BetBoom v 9z or FURIA Cologne  
15:45 CET    HLTV Lanxess Arena  
— TBD —
— TBD —
— TBD —
Semifinal 2 June 20 G2 or Spirit v Falcons or Vitality Cologne  
19:00 CET    HLTV Lanxess Arena  
— TBD —
— TBD —
— TBD —

Final

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Grand final June 21 TBD v TBD Cologne  
17:00 CET    HLTV Lanxess Arena  
— TBD —
— TBD —
— TBD —
— TBD —
— TBD —

Final standings

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The final placings are shown below. In addition, the prize distribution, roster, and coaches are shown. An eliminated team's final position is decided by its win-loss record, then by its Buchholz score and finally by its initial seeding in the case of ties.[20]

Place Prize Money Team
1st US$500,000 TBD
2nd US$170,000 TBD
3rd US$80,000 TBD
4th TBD
5th US$45,000 TBD
6th TBD
7th TBD
8th TBD
9th US$20,000 Natus Vincere
10th FUT Esports
11th The MongolZ
12th MOUZ
13th Monte
14th Legacy
15th B8 Esports
16th PARIVISION
17th US$10,000 TYLOO
18th BIG Clan
19th paiN Gaming
20th M80
21st MIBR
22nd Astralis
23rd GamerLegion
24th FlyQuest
25th N/a Team Liquid
26th NRG Esports
27th Lynn Vision Gaming
28th THUNDER dOWNUNDER
29th Sharks Esports
30th HEROIC
31st Gaimin Gladiators
32nd SINNERS Esports

References

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  1. 1 2 "IEM Cologne Major 2026 Expands: Best-of-Three for All Stage 3 Matches! - ESL Pro Tour". pro.eslgaming.com. 2026-02-23. Retrieved 2026-05-22.
  2. 1 2 Nicholson, Jonno (2025-08-04). "ESL to host CS2 Major at IEM Cologne 2026". Esports Insider. Retrieved 2025-12-15.
  3. ↑ Šimić, Ivan (2023-07-06). "What are the most popular Counter-Strike esports events?". Esports Insider. Retrieved 2025-12-15.
  4. ↑ Harbinson, Darragh (2025-12-14). "Vitality crowned StarLadder Budapest Major Champions; mezii claims second Major trophy". Esports News UK. Retrieved 2025-12-15.
  5. ↑ Nicholson, Jonno (2026-02-23). "IEM Cologne Major to include best-of-three series in Stage 3". Esports Insider. Retrieved 2026-05-29.
  6. ↑ Shukla, Arnav (2026-01-22). "CS2 Season 4 Update Patch Notes: Anubis rework, SMGs Buffed". Dot Esports. Retrieved 2026-01-23.
  7. ↑ "ESL Counter-Strike on X: "𝕿𝖍𝖊 𝕴𝕰𝕸 𝕮𝖔𝖑𝖔𝖌𝖓𝖊 𝕸𝖆𝖏𝖔𝖗 𝕮𝖆𝖘𝖙"". Twitter. 29 May 2026. Retrieved 29 May 2026.
  8. ↑ "Europe gains additional spot for IEM Cologne Major". HLTV. 2025-12-09. Retrieved 2026-01-26.
  9. ↑ "counter-strike_regional_standings/invitation/2026/standings_global_2026_04_06.md at main · ValveSoftware/counter-strike_regional_standings · GitHub". GitHub. April 6, 2026. Retrieved April 6, 2026.
  10. ↑ "ESL Counter-Strike on X: "For the first time in 10 years, 32 teams have been assembled for a Counter-Strike Major in the Cathedral of Counter-Strike. YOUR #IEM COLOGNE MAJOR 2026 INVITED TEAMS ARE CONFIRMED" / X". Twitter. April 7, 2026. Retrieved April 7, 2026.
  11. ↑ "ESL Counter-Strike on X: "The rosters are now LOCKED for the #IEM Cologne Major 2026. These are the players fighting for a spot in the Cathedral of Counter-Strike" / Twitter". Twitter. April 22, 2026. Retrieved April 22, 2026.
  12. ↑ Harbinson, Darragh (2026-04-20). "Karrigan Departs FaZe, Joins Falcons; kyxsan Benched". Insider Gaming. Retrieved 2026-06-04.
  13. ↑ "MOUZ removes Jimpphat and Brollan, brings jL and xelex from academy". Escorenews. 2026-04-19. Retrieved 2026-06-04.
  14. ↑ Jadhav, Ganesh (2026-06-04). "Team Spirit Coaches to Miss Stage 2 of IEM Cologne Major 2026". Strafe Esports. Retrieved 2026-06-05.
  15. ↑ Saraff, Alexander (2026-04-06). "nqz takes indefinite break from competition". pley.gg. Retrieved 2026-06-08.
  16. ↑ "BetBoom Team on X: "BetBoom Team in Cologne. And we're ready to play at IEM Cologne Major 2026 Starting roster for the tournament: – Boombl4 – Magnojez – FL4MUS – zorte – d1Ledez Pasha "S1ren" will join the team later."". Twitter. 2026-05-31. Retrieved 2026-05-31.
  17. ↑ "GG Gaimin Gladiators on X: "CS2 ROSTER UPDATE"". Twitter. 2026-04-16. Retrieved 2026-06-04.
  18. ↑ "ESL Counter-Strike on X: "Today, we're announcing a significant expansion to the #IEM Cologne Major 2026 format. For the first time ever all matches in Stage 3 of a Major will now be played as a best-of-three series."". Twitter. 23 February 2026. Retrieved 23 February 2026.
  19. ↑ "ESL Counter-Strike on X: "#IEM Cologne Major 2026 Update: Competitive Ruling - adr, Legacy After reviewing repeated violations of the Major ruleset, the decision has been made that adr will no longer be permitted to coach the team for the remainder of the event's matches. adr received multiple"". Twitter. 13 June 2026. Retrieved 14 June 2026.
  20. ↑ "The CS Major Supplemental Rulebook". GitHub. 5 August 2025. Retrieved 15 December 2025.
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