All IEM Cologne winners and rosters in Counter-Strike history
IEM Cologne is one of Counter-Strike’s biggest events, happening every single year. Some seasons, the event is labeled as one of Valve’s two Counter-Strike Majors of the year, but if not, still stands as one of the big events every player chases to win.
With the IEM Cologne 2026 Major right around the corner, let’s take a trip down memory lane and check out every single winner of the tournament, starting all the way back in 2014. Also check out the best CS2 betting websites if you are looking to wager in the upcoming Major.
All IEM Cologne Winners in History
| IEM Cologne Year | Winning Team | Prize Money Won | Runner-Up |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Ninjas in Pyjamas | $100,000 | Fnatic |
| 2015 | Fnatic | $100,000 | Team EnVyUs |
| 2016 | SK Gaming | $500,000 | Team Liquid |
| 2017 | SK Gaming | $100,000 | Cloud9 |
| 2018 | Natus Vincere | $125,000 | BIG Clan |
| 2019 | Team Liquid | $125,000 | Team Vitality |
| 2020 | – | – | – |
| 2021 | Natus Vincere | $400,000 | G2 Esports |
| 2022 | FaZe Clan | $400,000 | Natus Vincere |
| 2023 | G2 Esports | $400,000 | ENCE |
| 2024 | Team Vitality | $400,000 | Natus Vincere |
| 2025 | Team Spirit | $400,000 | MOUZ |
| 2026 | Team Falcons | $500,000 | FURIA |
2014 – Ninjas in Pyjamas
Winning Roster:
- Patrik “f0rest” Lindberg
- Christopher “GeT_RiGhT” Alesund
- Richard “Xizt” Landström
- Robin “Fifflaren” Johansson
- Adam “friberg” Friberg
Image via ESL
The legendary Ninjas in Pyjamas squad that dominated the early days of Counter-Strike, putting together an 87-0 win streak, was pretty much due for a Major win. The Swedes finally accomplished that feat in the first ever iteration of ESL One Cologne, defeating local rivals Fnatic to claim their long-awaited Major trophy.
2015 – Fnatic
Winning Roster:
- Jesper “JW” Wecksell
- Robin “flusha” Rönnquist
- Markus “pronax” Wallstén
- Olof “olofmeister” Kajbjer
- Freddy “KRIMZ” Johansson
Image via ESL
After losing to NiP in 2014, Fnatic returned to Cologne with a clear goal in mind. This time, they took down French squad Team EnVyUs in the grand final to win the trophy. This was also Fnatic’s third Major victory, becoming the first team to win three Valve Majors.
2016 – SK Gaming
Winning Roster:
- Gabriel “FalleN” Toledo
- Fernando “fer” Alvarenga
- Marcelo “coldzera” David
- Lincoln “fnx” Lau
- Epitácio “TACO” de Melo
Image via ESL
2016 was the start of the Brazilian era, with an SK Gaming lineup that featured legends like FalleN and coldzera. The South American squad made light work of the entire competition, taking down Team Liquid 2-0 in the grand final.
2017 – SK Gaming
Winning Roster:
- Gabriel “FalleN” Toledo
- Fernando “fer” Alvarenga
- Marcelo “coldzera” David
- Epitácio “TACO” de Melo
- João “felps” Vasconcellos
Image via Helena Kristiansson for ESL
SK Gaming didn’t stop their reign in 2016 – they carried their momentum into 2017, and with only a single player change, they were able to win Cologne again. This makes them the first and only team to be repeat winners of the Cologne trophy.
Starting this year, IEM Cologne was no longer labeled as a Valve Major and instead became a prestigious standalone tournament that sat a tier below the Majors.
2018 – Natus Vincere
Winning Roster:
- Ioann “Edward” Sukhariev
- Egor “flamie” Vasilyev
- Oleksandr “s1mple” Kostyliev
- Danylo “Zeus” Teslenko
- Denis “electroNic” Sharipov
Image via Helena Kristiansson for ESL
2018 was when Counter-Strike’s GOAT s1mple really took off. NAVI took on hometown heroes BIG Clan in the grand final, winning the series 3-1. S1mple was given MVP honors for his star performance.
2019 – Team Liquid
Winning Roster:
- Nicholas “nitr0” Cannella
- Jonathan “EliGE” Jablonowski
- Russel “Twistzz” Van Dulken
- Keith “NAF” Markovic
- Jacky “Stewie2K” Yip
Image via Stephanie Lieske for ESL
Team Liquid rescued North American Counter-Strike by winning ESL One Cologne 2019, taking down ZywOo and Team Vitality in the grand finals. This event was also the final piece of the puzzle for their Intel Grand Slam Season 2 win, where they won an extra million dollars for their campaign here.
2020 – Canceled
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 iteration was canceled entirely. It was nearly impossible for teams to fly to events, let alone have ESL host a stadium tournament during such a dire situation worldwide.
2021 – Natus Vincere
Winning Roster:
- Oleksandr “s1mple” Kostyliev
- Denis “electroNic” Sharipov
- Kirill “Boombl4” Mikhaylov
- Ilya “Perfecto” Zalutskiy
- Valerii “b1t” Vakhovskyi
Image via Simon Howar for ESL
After COVID-19 became manageable, the Cologne trophy returned in 2021. This happened to also be around the time of NAVI’s peak, where s1mple and company were blowing out every single team. The Eastern European squad won their second Cologne title, becoming the second team to win it twice.
2022 – FaZe Clan
Winning Roster:
- Håvard “rain” Nygaard
- Helvijs “broky” Saukants
- Russel “Twistzz” Van Dulken
- Finn “karrigan” Andersen
- Robin “ropz” Kool
Image via Helena Kristiansson for ESL
FaZe Clan made the groundbreaking signing of ropz in 2022, and the team wasted no time. Months after the Estonian joined the team, FaZe immediately made it to the grand final of IEM Cologne, where they took down NAVI in one of the craziest grand final matches ever played. We highly recommend checking out the highlights for this match if you haven’t already!
2023 – G2 Esports
Winning Roster:
- Nemanja “huNter-” Kovač
- Nikola “NiKo” Kovač
- Ilya “m0NESY” Osipov
- Justin “jks” Savage
- Rasmus “HooXi” Nielsen
Image via Helena Kristiansson for ESL
2023 was G2’s turn to win one of the biggest Counter-Strike events of the year. Star rifler NiKo pushed the team across the finish line, claiming tournament MVP after taking down ENCE in the final. To this day, IEM Cologne 2023 is still one of NiKo’s greatest Counter-Strike achievements, as he’s still in search of a Valve Major victory.
2024 – Team Vitality
Winning Roster:
- Dan “apEX” Madesclaire
- Mathieu “ZywOo” Herbaut
- Lotan “Spinx” Giladi
- Shahar “flameZ” Shushan
- William “mezii” Merriman
Image via Helena Kristiansson for ESL
The French duo of apEX and ZywOo were bound to win Cologne eventually, and that finally happened in 2024. Vitality were able to take down previous Major winners NAVI in the grand final with a 3-1 victory. ZywOo earned his 20th MVP award at this very event.
2025 – Team Spirit
Winning Roster:
- Leonid “chopper” Vishnyakov
- Myroslav “zont1x” Plakhotia
- Danil “donk” Kryshkovets
- Ivan “zweih” Gogin
- Dmitriy “sh1ro” Sokolov
Image via Helena Kristiansson for ESL
The most recent IEM Cologne winners were Team Spirit, led by generational talent donk, who is now the new talk of the town. The little terminator dropped an illegal 1.50 rating across the entire event to claim the MVP award.
2026 – Team Falcons
Winning roster:
- Nikola “NiKo” Kovač
- René “TeSeS” Madsen
- Ilya “m0NESY” Osipov
- Maksim “kyousuke” Lukin
- Finn “karrigan” Andersen
Image via Adela Sznajder for ESL FACEIT Group
For the first time since 2017, IEM Cologne returned as a Valve Major in 2026. Team Falcons pulled off one of the toughest Major runs in history, taking down Team Vitality, Team Spirit, NAVI, and FURIA, which are all among the top-five teams in the world, to lift the trophy.
This victory meant a lot, as it was NiKo’s first Major victory ever – he had been chasing this goal throughout his long career, finally accomplishing it in Cologne on his 17th attempt.
Featured image credit: ESL
Owen lives for competition, spending most of his gaming hours on Dota 2, CS2, and Valorant. A regular on the SEA Dota 2 leaderboards, he combines his first-hand experience with a deep passion for esports journalism, following the professional scenes of all three esports betting titles religiously. When he’s not writing, he’s most probably betting on esports and watching the latest events.
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