Which Teams are Favored to Win the IEM Cologne CS2 Major?

All the best teams in Counter-Strike will be making the trip to the IEM Cologne Major 2026 that begins in just a few days, but as is the case with most tournaments, there are a couple of favorites early on. While we’ve seen time and time again that new teams or even teams lower in the world ranking can go toe to toe with CS2’s best teams, continuous success and consistent performance are factors too important to overlook when it comes to making early predictions. These are the teams with the biggest shot at going all the way in the biggest event of the year so far.

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IEM Cologne CS2 Major Favorites

Vitality

There’s really no need to even discuss this too much. From January until when the Major starts in June, Vitality have been the very best not only in the region but in the entire world. They’ve enjoyed unparalleled success no matter what rosters they face and only have a handful of losses to show for it.

Vitality head into Cologne as the #1 team on both the HLTV and Valve World Ranking, with a significant difference in points to their closest competition in second place. They’ve also won the last two Majors in a row and are looking for a historic three-peat in Germany.

Natus Vincere

It’s pretty obvious that the team ranked #2 on HLTV’s World Ranking would also be favored to win it all, but what gives them an edge this time around is the fact that they actually have momentum on their side heading into the IEM Cologne Major 2026.

Natus Vincere took down Vitality at IEM Atlanta and eventually won the whole thing, making it the first time in a while that any team has posed a significant threat to Vitality’s dominance. A third overall Major championship for the organization is also on the line at the Major.

Spirit

PGL Astana 2026 was an important victory for Spirit as the team had not won a significant trophy since the BLAST Bounty Season 2 Finals all the way back in 2025. A strong IEM Rio campaign, where they finished second, and a championship at PGL Astana were just what Spirit needed in their last two events before the Major.

Currently sitting inside the Top 3 of both World Rankings, it’s once again up to Danil “donk” Kryshkovets to drive his team forward and make a run for the IEM Cologne Major trophy. They haven’t won a Major since 2024, and with Vitality looking beatable after all, could this be the year again?

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