The IEM Cologne Major 2026 Stage 2 concluded on June 9, producing the eight teams that would join eight direct invitees in Stage 3. After four brutal days at the Palladium, the picture was clear.
Stage 3 Qualifiers From Stage 2
- FUT Esports
- Team Spirit
- G2 Esports
- BetBoom Team
- 9z Team
- Monte
- B8
- Legacy
Direct Stage 3 Invitees
The other eight seeds were seeded directly into Stage 3 based on Valve's Global Standings:
- Team Vitality — world #1
- Team Falcons
- Aurora Gaming
- Natus Vincere
- The MongolZ
- MOUZ
- FURIA Esports
- PARIVISION
Notable Eliminations
Multiple Stage 1 survivors bowed out at Stage 2. The upstart runs of THUNDER dOWNUNDER, GamerLegion, FlyQuest, and TYLOO all ended, though all of them had achieved their broader goal of a Major appearance.
Format Change Reminder
Stage 3 begins June 11 and runs through June 15. It marks the first Major where every Stage 3 match is a best-of-three — Valve and ESL responded to community feedback that best-of-one Swiss produced too many upset variance results. Now teams have three maps to prove themselves.
Palladium to LANXESS
The Stage 3 matches remain at the Palladium in front of a live audience. Only the playoffs (June 18-21) will move to the massive LANXESS Arena. Rest day June 10 gives all 16 Stage 3 teams a chance to prepare for the biggest stretch of the summer.
