FaZe Clan have been all but eliminated from the IEM Cologne 2026 Major invite race, after a disastrous showing at Digital Crusade DraculaN Season 6 left them stranded outside the top 20 in the VRS. This latest blow is only one part of the team’s disastrous 2026 season, with FaZe also failing to make it out of the groups across their LAN appearances.
FaZe’s freefall down the VRS
VRS-aficionado Finn, “@MischiefCS2” on X, has been tracking FaZe’s fall down the VRS across 2026 in his regular major invite predictions on the social media platform. At the start of March, his predictions put FaZe as a 71.4% favorite to make the major. But within days that number dropped like a brick, teams like Liquid, 3DMAX, and BIG all signed up for open LAN events, while FaZe failed to make the LAN portion of ESL Pro League Season 23.
Still, with BLAST Open Rotterdam 2026 on the horizon, and DraculaN added to their schedule as a safety net, even a handful of wins would have been enough to guarantee Cologne. Unfortunately, FaZe’s spiral continued, with the squad going 0-2 at Rotterdam, including a disastrous loss to Tyloo. That was followed up with losses to the Senzu-powered Passion UA and a BlameF-less fnatic at DraculaN.
FaZe had every opportunity to attend a series of smaller LAN events, build up both their confidence and the LAN wins component of the VRS. Instead the team stuck to tier 1 events, failed to make a single playoffs, and will now watch one of the biggest Majors in the game’s history from home.
Once FaZe’s early exit from DraculaN became apparent, fans quickly suggested a possible path to Cologne through the HLC Belgrade LAN in Belgrade. The event had come under some scrutiny recently for allowing sign-ups from tier 1 teams beyond its initially announced deadline in violation of Valve’s Tournament Operation Requirements.
If that practice had continued, FaZe could have theoretically made their way to the LAN to throw one final hail mary at the IEM Cologne problem. Unfortunately, Relog Media (the TO behind HLC) has already been told by Valve that they are not allowed to accept teams beyond their original deadline, according to HLTV’s Milan “Striker” Švejda
FaZe in deeper trouble beyond IEM Cologne Major
The ramifications of FaZe’s latest losses will echo far beyond just the IEM Cologne 2026 Major. Majors hold a place of supreme importance in the CS2 calendar not just because of their status as the most prestigious events of the year. Rather it is the revenue organizations generate through sticker sales in the game’s Major Capsules that make it vital for many teams’ survival.
While FaZe, owned by GameSquare, will likely remain in the Counter-Strike space, the lack of Major revenue could affect the team’s ability to sign the players they need for a proper rebuild. Luckily, the team has reportedly extended David “frozen” Čerňanský’s contract, ensuring the Slovakian player will remain on the team’s books for the foreseeable future. But for the team’s veteran IGL, Finn “karrigan” Andersen, this might be the perfect moment to hang up the mouse, and possibly transition to a coaching career if FaZe can’t commit to an overhaul.
While FaZe’s fate remains up in the air, fans will hope that the team can return to the top in 2026, bringing their exciting brand of Counter-Strike back to the fore.
