IEM Cologne Major Stage 3 preview: who’s making it to the playoffs?

Owen Harsono Published 10/06/2026

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.

IEM Cologne Major Stage 2 recap

Before we got to Stage 3, a lot of things happened in Stage 2. The standout story was Team Spirit, who demolished the entire competition, only dropping 10 rounds across four maps. With how they were playing, it’s not hard to consider them one of the favorites to win the entire thing.

Image credit: Adela Sznajder for ESL FACEIT Group

Several squads have also proven they belong at the top of the food chain. Teams who have won titles this year, like FUT Esports and Legacy survived Stage 2, with other notable teams like G2 Esports and BetBoom Team also crossing the finish line.

With the expected survivors of Stage 2 successfully making it to Stage 3, we’re really in for some heated Counter-Strike action in Stage 3.

A stacked field

Many fans refused to watch the previous stages, saying the matches were “boring” and low-skilled. However, there’s no excuse now, as Stage 3 is guaranteed to produce some banger matchups. It’s also worth noting there are no more best-of-ones, every match will be played in best-of-three format.

In the first round alone, we have world number three taking on world number two, as Team Spirit and Natus Vincere are set to clash. Then, we’ll see karrigan make his Major debut under his new team and NiKo taking on his cousin huNter-, as Team Falcons and G2 Esports are facing off on the same day.

Teams who crawled out of the previous stages are warmed up and ready to go, while the top dogs who had the privilege of starting in Stage 3 are yet to play. Slow starts are affordable but not recommended – no team wants to lose their opening series and put themselves on the backfoot right away.

IEM Cologne Stage 3 predictions

The clear favorite to advance to the playoffs is Team Vitality – they’re still expected to win the entire event. However, Team Spirit have shown that the gap between them and Vitality might not be as large as we initially thought, which is something esports prediction markets agree with.

Image credit: Viola Schuldner for ESL FACEIT Group

As reflected in our IEM Cologne Pick’Em predictions, we’re fairly confident these five teams will make it to the Playoffs:

Team Vitality
Team Spirit
Natus Vincere
Team Falcons
FURIA

The rest of the field is in question, but we’re liking the chances of MOUZ, FUT Esports, Aurora and potentially The MongolZ.

Stage 1 and Stage 2 have already delivered unforgettable matches, like a 0-12 comeback from BIG Clan to advance to the next stage. With how packed Stage 3 looks, we’re definitely in for a treat.

Featured image credit: Adela Sznajder for ESL FACEIT Group

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.

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