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CS2 IEM Cologne Major 2026 Preview

There’s less than a week away from one of the most anticipated upcoming events in recent Counter-Strike history: the IEM Cologne Major 2026. Everyone knows the prestige of the Cologne tournament by now, but there’s just something about it being tied to an official Valve Major Championship that will forever mark it as one of the greatest in franchise history.

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The winning team will not only claim a massive chunk of the total prize money, but they’ll also receive a mark on the ESL Grand Slam Season 7 race.

32 of the Best CS2 Teams Making The Trip to IEM Cologne 2026

Major favorites and back-to-back defending champions Vitality were among the first to secure their automatic qualification for Stage 3 of the IEM Cologne Major 2026. Alongside them in the list of previous Major champions are two-time winners Natus Vincere and record four-time winners Astralis.

There are a total of 32 teams competing across three Swiss group stages of the competition and a single-elimination playoff bracket. The Grand Final will take place on June 21 at the historic Lanxess Arena.

Natus Vincere Looking For A Second ESL Grand Slam Notch

Having recently won IEM Atlanta 2026, Natus Vincere are the first team on the board for Season 7 of the ESL Grand Slam. If they replicate that same success and lift the trophy in Cologne, they’ll be halfway towards their goal of winning the whole thing.

Of course, even reaching the Grand Final is way easier said than done, especially with the quality of the competition in Germany. Still, it would be a remarkable achievement for the organization and all the players involved.

Vitality Can Match Astralis As One of the Best Counter-Strike Teams of All Time

Prime Astralis from 2018-19 is often viewed as the greatest Counter-Strike team ever assembled, and Vitality are so close to matching a record that has stood for seven long years.

To date, Astralis is the only organization with four Major trophies and a three-peat. If Vitality win the IEM Cologne Major 2026, they’d match that very record with a three-peat of their own and become only the second team to ever achieve said feat.

Astralis Can Do The Unthinkable in the IEM Cologne CS2 Major

2026 Astralis is nowhere close to the 2018-19 lineup in terms of accolades, but this is the Major, and anything can happen. Astralis were strong enough to directly qualify for Stage 2 of the Cologne Major anyway, and they’re no joke as a team either.

A victorious campaign for Astralis would put them in the history books as the first and only five-time winning organization in Counter-Strike history. Does the new guard have what it takes to repeat the success of legends past?