The first stage of the IEM Cologne Major 2026 on CS2. Results

The first stage of the main tournament of the summer season in Counter-Strike 2 in Cologne, Germany, has officially ended. The Swiss system (Challengers Stage) has identified a list of 16 teams that will continue to compete for world champion status and a share of the $1.25 million prize pool.

The tournament runs from June 2 to June 21 at the LANXESS Arena. The competition gathers the 32 best teams on the planet who have passed Valve's regional qualifications. Winning here brings not only prizes, but also prestige, ranking points and the title of the best team in the world. The first stage was held according to the Swiss system from June 2 to 5 and was played to three wins (bo1) with decisive bo3 matches. All the details are in the Izvestia article.

Results of the first stage (Challengers Stage): triumphs and disappointments

• Favorites (3-0)

The two teams demonstrated absolute dominance by passing the group stage without a single defeat.:

BetBoom Team, Russia is the main sensation and pride of the CIS scene. The team beat Gaimin Gladiators (13:4), Team Liquid (13:9) and defeated GamerLegion 2-0 in the final match (13:2 at Nuke, 13:8 at Ancient). The key player in the series against GamerLegion was FL4MUS (Timur Maryev) with an excellent K/D score of 35-21. In addition, it should be noted that the team is playing without its main player s1ren (Pavel Ogloblin), who is currently being replaced by d1Ledez. (Daniil Kustov).

B8, Ukraine — another team that showed stability and tactical training, also completed the stage with a score of 3-0.

• Strong contenders (3 – 1) and heroes of the lower grid (3 – 2)

The teams that made one misfire, but quickly recovered: MIBR, Brazil (classic Brazilian school), GamerLegion, Europe (despite losing to BetBoom Team, the team showed excellent play throughout the stage) and M80, USA.

These teams lost their first card, but showed an iron will to get through the loser's bracket and advance to the next round: FlyQuest, Australia (their victory over Team Liquid was the main event of the evening – Anubis (13:2) and Inferno (13:7)), TYLOO, China (the team knocked out Lynn Vision Gaming, becoming one of the main openings of the tournament) and BIG, Germany.

• The main disappointments

Many famous names have left the tournament, including HEROIC, Sharks, SINNERS, NRG and Lynn Vision Gaming. The biggest failure was the performance of Team Liquid. The team has set an anti-record for all its performances at the majors. The defeat from FlyQuest showed the serious problems of the team both in shooting and in tactical cooperation.

Statistical results and analytics

An analysis of the stage shows a key feature of the Swiss System format: a 3-0 result does not always mean superiority over a team that passed through the bottom bracket with a score of 3-2. The path of the latter is much more difficult psychologically and physically, which makes them extremely dangerous rivals from the second stage.

Favorites: BetBoom Team and B8 look like the main contenders for a quick pass. Their confidence and perfect form make them obvious leaders. MIBR, M80 and GamerLegion must confirm their status in the elimination matches.

Dark horses: TYLOO and FlyQuest are the main threats to any opponent. The teams are at the peak of their form, their morale is at its peak after the heroic passage of the lower grid. Underestimating these teams can cost the favorites a place in the playoffs.

Overall dynamics: a significant increase in the level of the game is expected. The transition to the bo3 format will eliminate the randomness factor that was present in the bo1 games, and will force teams to work deeper into strategies and mappings. The tournament is entering its most interesting phase, where every match promises to be a battle to the limit.

The principle of seeding IEM Cologne Major 2026. Stages, formats, and schedule

The tournament uses a seeding system based on Valve's World Ranking (VRS). The 32 teams are divided into stages as follows:

• The top 8 teams in the ranking (1-8 places) start immediately from the third stage (Legends Stage).

• The teams ranked 9th-16th in the ranking start from the second stage (Challengers Stage).

• Teams from 17th to 32nd place begin their journey in the first stage (Challengers Stage).

Second stage (Stage 2): format and schedule

The second stage of the IEM Cologne Major 2026 for CS2 officially runs from June 6-9 and represents the next round of the Swiss system. There are 16 teams playing in Stage 2: 8 teams that took the first places at regional RMR tournaments (they passed automatically), and 8 winners of the first stage (Challengers Stage).

Match format – all games are played in the bo3 format. Seeding mechanics – teams are divided into two groups depending on the results of their first matches in the second stage (High — winners of the first series, Low — losers). Following the results of the five rounds, the top eight teams will advance to the playoff stage (Legends Stage, Stage 3), while the eight worst teams will leave the tournament.

The third stage (Stage 3: Legends Stage): format and schedule

The third stage of the IEM Cologne Major 2026 CS2 tournament – Stage 3: Legends Stage (Legends Stage) will be held from 11 to 15 June. This is the elimination playoff stage after the first defeat. Unlike the Swiss system in the previous stages, here the teams play in the classic Single-Elimination format.

The top 8 teams from the previous stage (Stage 2) advance to Stage 3. All games are played in the bo3 format. The grid starts with the quarterfinals. The winner of the upper bracket of Stage 2 plays with the team that passed through the lower bracket. This is followed by the semi-finals and the final.

The top four teams at the end of the Legends Stage advance to the final stage of the tournament — Champions Stage/Playoffs (Champions Stage), where the winner of the major is determined. The dates are from 18 to 21 June.

The teams that ranked 9th to 16th in the world ranking and automatically qualified for the second stage (Stage 2):

• G2
• Astralis
• FUT
• Team Spirit
• 9z
• paIN
• Monte
• Legacy

The top 8 of the world ranking, the teams that automatically qualified for the third stage (Stage 3):

• Team Vitality
• FURIA
• MOUZ
• Natus Vincere (NAVI)
• Team Falcons
• Aurora
• The MongolZ
• PARIVISION