IEM Cologne 2026 Major Opening Matches Released

The opening matchups of the IEM Cologne 2026 Major have been released by ESL as the Counter-Strike world prepares for the first Major of the year.

The event will be the first Counter-Strike Major held in Cologne for a decade, when SK Gaming won ESL One: Cologne 2016 to lift the roster’s second Major of the year.

IEM Cologne 2026 Major Stage 1 opening matches set

While fans will be eagerly awaiting the playoffs of the event in the Lanxess Arena, we have to get there first, and that starts with the first of three Swiss Stages, which will determine who progresses through the tournament.

Stage 1 starts with the lowest-ranked teams of each region fighting tooth and nail to progress to Stage 2, where some of the better-known rosters start to join the competition.

However, owing to rough seasons or late peaks, Stage 1 of the IEM Cologne 2026 Major still features some notable names from the CS landscape, such as Team Liquid, Heroic, MIBR, and IEM Atlanta Grand Finalists GamerLegion.

The opening matches for the IEM Cologne 2026 Major are:

• GamerLegion vs NRG
• B8 vs TYLOO
• Heroic vs Sharks
• BetBoom vs Gaimin Gladiators
• BIG vs Liquid
• M80 vs Lynn Vision
• MIBR vs THUNDER dOWNUNDER
• Sinners vs FlyQuest

Note that while Stage 3 of the Major will not feature any Best of 1s, Stages 1 and 2 will still feature Best of 1 contests in non-elimination/promotion matches.

Therefore, all listed matches above will be Best of 1 contests, then 1-0 and 0-1 matches in Round 2, and 1-1 contests in the third round of the Swiss Stage will be Best of 1s.

For analysis of the matchups and predictions for the tournament, Insider Gaming will give you a full breakdown of the IEM Cologne 2026 Major from the first match to the last closer to the June 2 start date.

In the meantime, let us know who you think will progress from Stage 1 on Insider Gaming’s Discord!
For other news, see the details of Insider Gaming’s Showcase!