Team Spirit to Play in IEM Cologne Playoffs Without a Coach

Team Spirit will compete in the IEM Cologne Major playoffs without their coaching staff.

Team captain Leonid “Chopper” Vishnyakov confirmed that the coach is unlikely to join the squad for the decisive stage:

“As far as I understand, the guys will be at the tournament on their own,” Chopper said.

Earlier, the team faced major roster issues ahead of the event. Sergey “Hally” Shavaev was hospitalized before the tournament started, while Dmitry “S0tf1k” Forostyanko was unable to obtain a visa. As a result, Spirit entered the competition without full coaching support.

Despite these setbacks, Spirit managed to secure their playoff spot with a hard-fought 2–1 victory over 9z Team. All three maps went into overtime, highlighting how close the series was.

Player Magixx previously noted that the lack of a coach creates additional challenges in preparation and in-game adaptation during the tournament.

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IEM Cologne Major 2026 runs from June 2 to June 21 in Cologne, Germany, with a total prize pool of $1.25 million.