Everything you need to know about the IEM Cologne Major

April 06, 2026

2:25 PM

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The IEM Cologne Major is right around the corner, and with the weekend just gone signalling the VRS cutoff date for the competition, we now know the 32 teams that will be in attendance for the event.

Set to be one of the biggest Majors inCS2 thus far, the Major will take place throughout the month of June, giving the qualified teams just two months to get their preparation in order if they want to write their names into history.

IEM Cologne key dates and where to watch

The IEM Cologne Major will be streamed on ESL’s channels on both YouTube and Twitch. There will also be a crowd for all of the games, with the group stage venue for Cologne being opened up for the first time.

Stage 1: June 2nd-5th
Stage 2: June 6th-9th
Stage 3: June 11th-15th
Playoffs: June 18th-21st

Photo: Michal Konkol

IEM Cologne prize pool

Although the biggest prize at the Major might be the in-game trophies received by the teams who make it to the playoffs, the money invovled is pretty good, too.

With the prizepool combining for a total of $1,250,000, the bulk of that will be dished out to the teams who make it to the playoffs. Teams exiting in Stage 1 will receive nothing, whilst $80,000 is reserved for those who exit in Stage 2.

The prizepool distribution for teams making it to the playoffs is as follows:

1st place - $500,000
2nd place - $170,000
3rd-4th place - $80,000
5th-8th place - $45,000

Photo: Stephanie Lindgren

BO3s at the IEM Cologne Major

The lack of BO3s in the group stages of Majors has been a hotly contested point for a few years now.

In previous Majors, all games that weren’t for elimination or advancement were played in a BO1 format, however, that will change for the first time in Germany.

Due to Valve listening to the fans, Stage 3 of the IEM Cologne Major will feature BO3s throughout it’s entire duration, hopefully reducing the amount of contested upsets from the first stages of Swiss.