The Cathedral of Counter-Strike is hosting a Counter-Strike Major once more, and 16 teams are raring to get the competition started. From former Cologne champions like Liquid and Heroic, to the semiprofessional Australian squad in THUNDERdOWNUNDER, stage one is the perfect appetizer before the title contenders serve the main course in stage two and stage three. Here’s everything you need to know about the 16 teams competing in stage one at the IEM Cologne Major 2026.
IEM Cologne 2026 Major stage one teams: Who’s competing?
The 16 teams entering stage one represent the lower-seeded participants at the major according to their VRS Ranking as of April 6, 2026 (invite cut-off). The thrilling race for the final points saw teams like FaZe and Passion UA fall by the wayside, while squads like BIG punched their ticket to Cologne. With just eight slots available in stage two, here are all the teams competing in stage one of the IEM Cologne Major 2026:
- GamerLegion (EU)
- B8 (EU)
- BetBoom (EU)
- MIBR (AM)
- M80 (AM)
- HEROIC (EU)
- Liquid (AM)
- TYLOO (AS)
- Lynn Vision (AS)
- SINNERS (EU)
- NRG (AM)
- BIG (EU)
- Sharks (AM)
- FlyQuest (AS)
- Gaimin Gladiators (AM)
- THUNDERdOWNUNDER (AS)
The stage two favorites
With many of the stage one invites regularly facing each other in the VRS LAN circuit, some teams emerge as clear favorites, carrying a proven record of wins over their peers.
GamerLegion: Every season there’s one team that stands out far above the rest in stage one thanks to a late-season peak at Tier 1 events. At Cologne, that team is GamerLegion. A top-four and a finals finish during the Americas leg of the season sets them up well for a stage three finish at minimum.
BetBoom: His NAVI stint may have filled his trophy cabinet, but it’s the run with BetBoom that has truly established Boomb14 as one of the best IGLs in the Eastern European region. And the addition of fl4mus has truly levelled his roster up. The IEM Atlanta top four carries their resume, but a win over Vitality can never be chalked off to luck alone. In both firepower and leadership, BetBoom has what it takes to stomp through stage one.
MIBR: In majors past, discounting MIBR would have been an easy task, given their lack of leadership. But importing LNZ and kl1m from the old continent has finally harnessed Insani’s impact. Now he leads a competitive squad that can hang with the best of European tier two. Expect a lot of teams to be surprised by just how hard that superstar-punch lands.
BIG: On account of his play alone, BlameF should be playing on a nailed-on top 10 roster. But his career instead turned down the alleyway of tier two. Luckily, though, his BIG roster looks far more promising than any of his Fnatic ventures, especially with the AWP of gr1ks. A stage two return for the Dane should be the BIG target.
Heroic: Possibly on the very edge of the favorites moniker, Heroic still lacks an actual AWPer. But ynxgstxr’s unorthodox sniping style has somehow worked against whoever they face. Combined with the rifles of nilo and xfl0ud, Heroic should have enough to push through this stage at least.
The upset underdogs
B8: Benching your AWPer without a replacement ready in the wings is often a recipe for disaster. But B8 have recovered amicably with s1zzi on the roster. And with npl continuing to frag out, the team has just enough firepower to play the favorites close.
SINNERS: The Czech organization has finally cracked their way into the Major, and they’ve managed the feat without oskar or NEOFRAG on the roster. Instead, beastik’s leadership has turned MoDo into a solid tier two AWPer, a significant improvement over his stints on TSM or OG. The stars may not hold their level at the Major, but tactically SINNERS will match whoever they face at this stage.
Liquid: The fact that no analyst or pundit can comfortably put Liquid as a favorite even in stage one is an indictment on the management. In fact, even their placement in the underdogs tier is largely due to the name value of their stars. If those stars fail to turn up, Liquid could easily bomb out of the tournament.
NRG: It has been seven years since nitr0’s IEM Cologne win with Liquid. Yet he’s still somehow the best North American IGL. Between him and daps, NRG have the tactical side all squared away. All they need now is for oSee and Grim to finally deliver the level they have shown in domestic play before.
TYLOO: Much like BlameF on BIG, JamYoung is doing all the heavy-lifting for TYLOO. Yet the 24-year-old is so brilliantly talented, that he alone can make them deadly. Give him a duel too many, and he’ll knock out even the strongest rosters in stage one. But if he’s kept in check, TYLOO will struggle to break through.
The Pick’Em ruiners
M80: Combining the powers of JBa and Lake was supposed to take M80 to the next level, but so far neither of their North American bets seem to be paying off. Instead, the team still relies on their 27-year-old AWPer slaxz to do the heavy lifting. Up against squads stacked with talent, M80 will struggle to find much impact.
Lynn Vision: The LV trio of Starry, z4kr, and Westmelon is possibly one of the longest standing cores in modern Counter-Strike. Yet in all those years, they have failed to progress beyond mere upset merchants. Can they hit a heater and win a best-of-one? Yes. Will they do anything beyond that? Don’t count on it.
Sharks: Coach coachi’s latest roster is the highest ranked squad Sharks has hosted since 2019. The team has had consistent results domestically, including two title wins during the season. And more recently, they’ve picked up wins over 100T, BetClic, Bet-M and Alliance. Unfortunately for Sharks, none of those squads came within sniffing distance of the Major. Realistically, Sharks will rely on the luck of the draw to fend off an 0-3.
Gaimin Gladiators: Had felps been on the roster, Gaimin Gladiators would have been written off as just another Brazilian squad. But fer’s last-minute return to the Majors makes the team far more exciting. The veteran was already the best player on Imperial’s last dance in 2022, and on Gaimin he still deploys his brute force entry routes. With HEN1’s AWP there to clutch rounds out, the team has both extremities of playstyle covered just well enough to upset a few big names.
FlyQuest: The first of the two Australian squads, FlyQuest should be far better than they actually are. And while some chalk it up to lack of practice, it feels more similar to Liquid’s situation. Being the best in your region can keep you afloat for a while, but the moment that crown slips—as it looks ready to do at Cologne—the ship will capsize quite quickly. FlyQuest needs a big scalp in stage one, otherwise the whole project will need a shake up.
THUNDERdOWNUNDER: By contrast, TDU seems like the perfect (thunder)storm. By playing a handful of local LANs, this team of Australian friends has managed to crack their way into the Major. In fact, Dexter has had to take vacation days from his real job to even participate. All that makes for a lovely storyline, with the 0.72 percent of sticker revenue a great bonus on top. But the clock is about to strike midnight, and an 0-3 looks to be on the cards for TDU.
