IEM Cologne Major 2026: Teams, format, schedule, and prize pool

Owen Harsono Published 31/05/2026

One of the most important Counter-Strike 2 tournaments of the year is right around the corner, with the IEM Cologne Major 2026 set to begin. It’s shaping up to be the biggest event of the year so far, and it’d be a crime to miss it. Here’s everything you need to know about the IEM Cologne Major.

IEM Cologne Major 2026 event overview

IEM Cologne will be the first Major tournament of the 2026 season. It’s going to be a long battle, with the event lasting three weeks. We’ll head to the Cathedral of Counter-Strike  – the LANXESS Arena – to crown the game’s next champion.

IEM Cologne Major 2026 teams

The Cologne Major features 32 of the best teams in the world, with all of them earning their spots through regional VRS Rankings. These teams have had to maintain consistency over the last six months to book their spots at the event.

Here are all IEM Cologne Major teams, based on which Stage they’ll begin their run in:

Stage 3

• Team Vitality
• Natus Vincere
• Team Falcons
• The MongolZ
• PARIVISION
• Aurora Gaming
• FURIA
• MOUZ

Stage 2

• FUT Esports
• Team Spirit
• Astralis
• G2 Esports
• Legacy
• paiN Gaming
• Monte
• 9z Team

Stage 1

• GamerLegion
• B8
• HEROIC
• BetBoom Team
• BIG
• M80
• MIBR
• SINNERS Esports
• NRG
• TYLOO
• Sharks Esports
• Gaimin Gladiators
• Team Liquid
• Lynn Vision
• THUNDERdOWNUNDER
• FlyQuest

The IEM Cologne Major favorites are none other than Team Vitality – the best CS2 team and one that has been tearing through the competition this year. However, others like Team Falcons, NAVI, and Team Spirit could challenge them.

Fans can also get directly involved in the action through the IEM Cologne 2026 Major Pick’Em Challenge where you can win the rare Diamond coin.

Image credit: Stephanie Lindgren for BLAST

Unfortunately, a household name we’re missing is FaZe Clan, the team that reached the grand final of the previous Major.

Format and schedule

With 32 squads in play, you can expect the event to take quite some time before only one team is left standing. That’s why IEM Cologne will feature four different stages. If you’re planning to bet on these CS2 matches, let’s first understand how each phase works. Also, check out our best CS2 betting sites.

All matches will be a best-of-three, except for the grand final which will follow a best-of-five format.

Stage 1 (June 2 – 5)

• 16 teams enter a Swiss Stage format.
• By the end of the stage, eight teams will be eliminated.
• The remaining eight teams will advance to Stage 2.

Stage 2 (June 6 – 9)

• Eight advancing teams from Stage 1 meet the teams already waiting in Stage 2.
• By the end of the stage, eight teams will be eliminated.
• The remaining eight teams will advance to Stage 3.

Stage 3 (June 11 – 15)

• Eight advancing teams from Stage 2 meet the teams already waiting in Stage 3.
• The top eight from here will advance to the Playoffs to compete for the title.

Playoffs (June 18 – 21)

• The eight surviving teams will enter into a single-elimination bracket.
• The Grand Final will be a best-of-five affair.

IEM Cologne Major 2026 prize oool and distribution

With its prestige, the IEM Cologne Major will feature one of the largest prize pools of any CS2 tournament this year at $1,250,000. Here’s what the split looks like.

It is also worth noting that participants aren’t just earning money from the prize pool – they also receive a cut of the Major sticker revenue, meaning they’re actually making way more money than what the prize pool suggests.

Money is nice and all, but the main goal is, of course, lifting that Major trophy. Winning a Major immediately cements you as a legend of the game – that remains the ultimate chase.

Featured image source: ESL

Owen Harsono

About Owen Harsono

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.

View full profile

Read Also

Esports Betting

Will Valve add Cache in the CS2 Premier Season 5 Active Duty map pool? Wasif Ahmed Following the highly anticipated return of Cache to Counter-Strike 2 earlier this season, the competitive community has almost started believing that the legendary industrial map would soon make its way into the Active Duty map pool for Premier Season 5. This expectation followed a pattern set by Train, which Valve brought back late last year before quickly pushing it into the main professional tournament rotation. However, in a recent Twitter ...

Counter-Strike

IEM Cologne Grand Final: Team Falcons vs FURIA best betting predictions Owen Harsono Coming into the IEM Cologne Major, nobody would have expected a grand final series between Team Falcons and FURIA, but here we are. Will NiKo finally win his first Major, or will FalleN win another one before retiring at the end of the year? Here are our IEM Cologne Major Grand Final predictions. Tournament: IEM Cologne Major 2026 Stage: Grand Final Game: Counter-Strike 2 Format: Best-of-five Betting tip: Team Falcons ...

Counter-Strike

Team Spirit vs Team Falcons IEM Cologne Major: betting predictions and picks Owen Harsono We’re in for a treat, as Team Spirit will take on Team Falcons for a spot in the IEM Cologne Major grand final. Will NiKo finally get another shot at winning a Major, or will donk and company prevent him from accomplishing his lifelong goal? Here are our IEM Cologne Major Team Spirit vs Team Falcons predictions. Tournament: IEM Cologne Major 2026 Stage: Semi-Final Game: Counter-Strike 2 Format: Best-of-three Betting ...

Counter-Strike

Vitality vs Falcons betting predictions and best picks: IEM Cologne Major 2026 Owen Harsono We’re treated to a possible grand final matchup here in the quarterfinal of the IEM Cologne Major, with Team Vitality taking on Team Falcons in an elimination match. These are two of the highest-profile teams in the game right now, but only one of them can continue their chase for the trophy. Here are our IEM Cologne Major Team Vitality vs Team Falcons predictions. Tournament: IEM Cologne Major 2026 Stage: ...

Counter-Strike

IEM Cologne Major 2026 playoffs preview: matchups & predictions Owen Harsono The top eight teams at the IEM Cologne 2026 Major are set. Most of the favorites easily secured their spots, but we also have promising underdogs sneaking into the bracket. To keep you up to speed, here’s everything you need to know about the IEM Cologne Major playoffs. We started with 32 teams and are now only down to eight. After a grueling Stage 3, teams have been seeded into ...

Counter-Strike

IEM Cologne Major 2026 CS2 Playoffs Pick’Em Predictions Owen Harsono It’s that time of the year again, as the next Counter-Strike 2 Major is right around the corner. The IEM Cologne 2026 Major is set to start on June 2, meaning you still have some time to lock in your Pick’Em predictions. The Pick’Em Challenge is one of the most exciting parts of the CS2 Majors, as it allows you to test your knowledge and predict which teams make it ...

Counter-Strike

IEM Cologne Major Stage 3 preview: who’s making it to the playoffs? Owen Harsono The IEM Cologne Major is the biggest tournament of the year, and after two stages of play, it’s finally time to unleash the big boys. Stage 3 will feature the 16 best teams in the world, but only eight can advance to the Playoffs and play on the big stage. Here’s our IEM Cologne Major Stage 3 preview. Before we got to Stage 3, a lot of things happened in ...