CS2 IEM Cologne Major 2026 Stage 1 Preview

IEM Cologne Major 2026 Stage 1 will take place from June 2 to 5. With the start of Stage 1, the first Counter-Strike 2 world championship of the 2026 season will officially begin. A total of 32 teams have qualified for the Cologne Major.

There are 8 teams in Stage 2 and Stage 3 each, while 16 teams will compete in Stage 1, with 8 advancing to Stage 2. All teams and players that qualified for Cologne Major received their in-game stickers.

Here, we take a detailed look at Stage 1 and share our predictions.

A total of 16 teams will compete in IEM Cologne Major 2026 Stage 1, with 8 advancing to Stage 2, while the tournament will end for the others. Stage 1 will follow the classic Swiss BO1 format, while progression and elimination matches will be played as BO3. The opening matchups are already set, while the following matchups will be determined by the results of the opening matches.

Teams that secure 3 wins will advance to Stage 2. It is possible to lose 2 times, but a third loss means elimination from the esports tournament. Two teams will finish Stage 1 with a 3-0 record, while two will also be eliminated without winning a single match. The other six teams will advance to Stage 2 with 3-1 and 3-2 records.

All teams that will play in Cologne Major 2026 Stage 1: GamerLegion, B8, BetBoom, MiBR, M80, HEROIC, Liquid, TYLOO, Lynn Vision, SINNERS, NRG, BIG, Sharks, FlyQuest, Gaimin Gladiators, Thunder dOWNUNDER.

Stage 1 has many teams of a similar level, but the main favorites arriving at the world championship in solid form can be highlighted:

All of them want to finish Stage 1 with a 3-0 record and calmly prepare for Stage 2, but the most important thing is to reach the next stage. Whether that is done 3-0 or 3-2 does not make a major difference.

Online sports bookmakers give the lowest odds for GamerLegion, Heroic, B8, BetBoom and BIG to reach the next stage. Of these teams, Heroic currently looks like the one in the weakest form.

Heroic started PGL Astana 2026 with a 2:0 win against Aurora, but then lost against FURIA, Gentle Mates and Magic and finished the tournament in 12-14th places. At the recently held Stake Ranked Episode 2, Heroic lost against Ninjas in Pyjamas and 9z and were eliminated from the tournament.

In IEM Cologne Major 2026 Stage 1, the main focus is on esports teams that can potentially reach Stage 2. Different esports betting sites offer markets where it is possible to bet on who will advance to the next stage with a 3-0 record, who will be eliminated with a 0-3 record, and who will qualify with a 3-1 or 3-2 record.

To Finish 3-0 is the highest-risk betting market, but this category also offers the highest odds. The main risk comes from the need to win two BO1 matches, where surprises happen most often. We recommend paying attention to these teams:

GamerLegion arrives at IEM Cologne Major in especially solid form. This looks like the most clearly standing-out team among the others, and it should also perform solidly in Stage 2. There is almost no doubt that GamerLegion will be in Stage 2. The only question is whether they can qualify 3-0. The odds are not small, but the risk is worth taking.

A 3-0 record for BetBoom and B8 is much riskier than for GamerLegion, but there is a high probability that these teams will meet in the 2-0 match and one of them will advance as 3-0. In theory, even placing equal-sized bets on all three teams would secure a profit if at least one of them qualifies with a 3-0 record.

To Finish 3-1 or 3-2 is the safest betting market, where the most value can be found. Here, teams will play at least a few BO3 matches, which reduces the BO1 format lottery. The risk remains that the selected esports team could advance to the next stage with a 3-0 record, so it is recommended not to choose a clear favorite, but to look for value among mid-level teams.

We have selected 4 bets with the strongest value:

BIG has not played against S-Tier opponents this season, but they have looked very solid against teams of their own level. The tournament takes place in Germany, so the organization has extra motivation to achieve the best possible results. A 3-0 record looks difficult to reach, unless the opponents line up very favorably, but BIG can certainly reach the next stage.

Team Liquid is being somewhat written off, which is also shown by the odds given by bookmakers. Yes, the team has been very inconsistent, but it should be noted that the opponents have been of the highest level.

Liquid has played many S-Tier tournaments, where major wins were not achieved, but there is enough individual talent in the team to reach Stage 2. The opening match is already against BIG, so one of the teams will not have a chance to qualify with a 3-0 record.

MiBR enters IEM Cologne Major in solid form, and this is one of the teams that can pleasantly surprise. MiBR played at CS Asia Championships 2026, where they reached the semi-finals, but lost against Legacy and MOUZ and finished in fourth place. MiBR will play the opening match against the underdogs, which should bring them closer to Stage 2.

The odds for TYLOO are high, but the bet has enough value to take the risk. TYLOO has not played much against European teams this season, so their level is not exactly clear. Still, as many as three players have been playing together for more than 2.5 years, while IGL “Jee” has been with the team for almost two years.

A long-standing core and good results in BO1 play suggest that TYLOO can surprise and be the only team from the Asian region that manages to advance from Stage 1 to Stage 2.

The To Finish 0-3 bet carries similar risk to 3-0, because one BO1 win means a losing bet.

In this category, Thunder dOWNUNDER stands out the most, as the team has played almost all of its matches only in Australia against local opponents. In terms of level, the team is far behind its opponents, and if it fails to spring a surprise in BO1 matches, this squad is a real contender to be eliminated with a 0-3 record.

It is quite difficult to single out other teams, because a lot depends on how the matchups line up. There is a chance that several of the mentioned teams will meet in a 0-2 match and one of them will get a win.

Lynn Vision, NRG and Gaimin Gladiators are the teams worth paying attention to. All of them arrive in less than ideal form, not much is expected, and it would be a major surprise if another squad were eliminated from the tournament with a 0-3 record.

IEM Cologne Major 2026 Stage 1 begins on June 2 and will continue for four days until June 5. Matches will be played every day, with no breaks. 

On the first day, 16 matches will be played, all BO1. On the second day, 8 matches will take place, the first four BO1 and the next four already BO3. From Thursday, there will be no BO1 matches left and six BO3 matches will be played. On Friday, the final spots will be decided, with three BO3 matches played.

The most important Counter-Strike 2 tournament of the first part of the 2026 season begins on June 2. For some teams, the goal is simply to reach the Major, and they will compete in it without any pressure.

Some teams, even those playing in Stage 1, have the goal of finishing as high as possible. When placing CS2 bets on IEM Cologne Major 2026, it is important to keep in mind that teams differ not only in level, but also in mentality and current form.

Teams qualified for IEM Cologne Major Stage 1 in different ways. TYLOO barely played in European tournaments, while BIG had almost no matches against S-Tier teams and collected VRS points by playing against opponents of their own level. For that reason, when analyzing teams, it is necessary to assess not only winning streaks, but also which opponents they were playing against.

A few key aspects to know when placing Stage 1 bets:

• The most surprises happen in BO1 matches, because teams have to play maps where they do not always feel comfortable. It is recommended to place smaller bets on BO1 matches or skip them entirely.
• To Finish 3-1 or 3-2 bets have the most value. Here, it is recommended to focus on mid-level teams that have a lower chance of qualifying with a 3-0 record.
• The level of Stage 1 teams is not very high, so individual talent matters here as much as tactics. Liquid has recently been losing more often than winning, but here they will be playing against lower-level opponents, so reaching Stage 2 would not be a surprise.
• THUNDER dOWNUNDER, TYLOO, Lynn Vision and FlyQuest are teams that have spent almost the entire season playing in their own region and do not have much experience against higher-level opponents.