IEM Cologne Major 2026 Stage 1 opening-round schedule revealed

The organizers of IEM Cologne Major 2026 in Counter-Strike 2 have revealed the schedule for the opening round of Stage 1. The first stage begins on June 2, with the opening matches set to be played in a BO1 format.

The first round will feature Sinners vs FlyQuest and M80 vs Lynn Vision at 12:30 CEST, MIBR vs THUNDERdOWN and B8 vs TYLOO at 13:30 CEST, GamerLegion vs NRG and Heroic vs Sharks at 14:30 CEST, BetBoom Team vs Gladiators and BIG vs Team Liquid at 15:30 CEST.

Stage 1 features 16 teams, with eight advancing to Stage 2 and eight leaving the Major.

IEM Cologne Major 2026 will take place from June 2 to 21 on LAN in Germany. The tournament will feature 32 teams competing for a $1,250,000 prize pool. Predictions for the tournament’s matches are available on Winio, our predictions for 13 out of 16 tier-one events have been correct so far.

image credit: ESL