IEM Cologne Major 2026 kicks off tomorrow with Stage 1: teams, format, and opening matches

IEM Cologne Major 2026 Stage 1 teams and matches

The first Major of 2026 - IEM Cologne Major - begins tomorrow with Stage 1, where 16 teams will compete for eight spots in the next phase. All participants were invited to the tournament based on the April 6 VRS ranking.

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The main favorite of the opening stage appears to be GamerLegion - the only team from the world’s top 10 that will begin its run in Stage 1. Janusz “Snax” Pogorzelski’s squad enters the tournament in good spirits after finishing second at IEM Atlanta. Other notable participants include B8, BetBoom, and MIBR, all of whom are ranked inside the top 20. BetBoom, however, will start the Major with a stand-in: Daniil “d1Ledez” Kustov will play instead of Pavel “S1ren” Ogloblin.

Stage 1 will be played in a Swiss format. A total of five rounds are scheduled: the first two will be played as best-of-one, while elimination and advancement matches will be best-of-three.

The opening matches will take place on June 2. The first-round matchups are:

  • M80 vs. Lynn Vision

  • SINNERS vs. FlyQuest

  • B8 vs. TYLOO

  • MIBR vs. THUNDER dOWNUNDER

  • GamerLegion vs. NRG

  • HEROIC vs. Sharks

  • BetBoom vs. Gaimin Gladiators

  • BIG vs. Liquid

BetBoom Team to Begin IEM Cologne Major 2026 Without s1ren

Stage 2 will run from June 6 to June 9 using the same system. The eight strongest teams will advance to Stage 3, which will also be played in a Swiss format - with all matches being BO3 - from June 11 to June 15.