The Cathedral Is Open: IEM Cologne Major 2026 Just Kicked Off
IEM Cologne Major 2026 kicked off on June 2 with 32 of the world's best CS2 teams descending on Cologne, Germany, battling it out over three weeks for a $1,250,000 prize pool. If you haven't heard of Cologne as a Counter-Strike venue, you probably haven't been paying attention for the last decade. It's widely considered the Cathedral of Counter-Strike - and this year it finally got the Major status it always deserved.
How it works
Stage 1 runs from June 2 to 5, featuring the tournament's lower-seeded teams battling it out in a Swiss bracket to claim 8 spots in Stage 2. Stage 2 then kicks off on June 6, where those qualifiers join eight directly seeded teams. The big boys - Vitality, NaVi, MOUZ, The MongolZ, and others - drop in at Stage 3 starting June 11. Playoffs happen June 18-21 at the iconic LANXESS Arena.
Think of it as a three-week slow burn before the real chaos at the arena.
The elephant in the room - Vitality
Team Vitality arrives in Cologne as back-to-back Major champions, having won both Austin 2025 and Budapest 2025. They also picked up their second consecutive ESL Grand Slam title at IEM Rio 2026 and added a tournament win at IEM Kraków earlier this year. At this point, they're not a dynasty, they're a problem.
They don't even have to show up until Stage 3. Must be nice.
The drama before the first bullet was fired
No Major starts clean, and Cologne 2026 is no exception.
BetBoom announced that rifler Pavel "S1ren" Ogloblin won't feature in their starting lineup for at least day one of Stage 1. Substitute Daniil "d1Ledez" Kustov has been registered to replace him. S1ren's absence is actually part of a longer saga - BetBoom's six-man roster has been struggling to field a consistent five throughout 2026 due to various visa complications. Russian passport problems at an international LAN in 2026. Not exactly a plot twist.
And then there's FaZe. FaZe Clan won't be in Cologne at all - the organization that used to contend for titles regularly didn't even qualify. After their elimination, they dropped to 31st place in the VRS. For a team of that brand and history, that's genuinely painful to watch.
Who's actually here
Stage 1 includes Team Liquid, BIG, Heroic, NRG, FlyQuest, TYLOO, MIBR, M80, and others - mostly the underdog bracket fighting for survival. The champion will walk away with $500,000, while even the teams that finish dead last in Stage 1 earn at least $5,000.
Not bad for playing CS on a Tuesday in Germany.
When to actually tune in
Stage 1 is fun for upsets and surprise stories. The real advancement and elimination wars - best-of-threes - start from day two. But if you're only going to commit to one stretch of the tournament, save your energy for Stage 3 onwards. That's when the roster sheets get scary and every map matters.
Playoffs at LANXESS Arena on June 18. Set a reminder.
What do you think about it? Let us know!