Which Teams Are in the CS2 IEM Cologne Major 2026

The IEM Cologne Major is one of the most anticipated upcoming events in the whole Counter-Strike calendar for this year. Not only is the iconic tournament back, but it’s also going to be categorized as an official Major Championship.

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The Cologne Major will mark the first time in six years that the iconic Lanxess Arena will play host to one of the biggest tournaments in all of Counter-Strike history. The last time a Cologne Major took place was all the way back in 2016, as the ESL One Cologne Major.

As usual, most of the world’s top-tier teams will make the trip to Cologne to participate in the very first Major of the year. With Team Vitality on the hunt for a three-peat and the event itself part of the ESL Grand Slam race, there’s a whole lot to play for in Cologne.

Top Ten CS2 Teams All In Attendance at the IEM Cologne Major 2026

The teams that comprise the top ten of both the Valve and HLTV World Rankings will all be attending the IEM Cologne Major. The likes of Vitality, Natus Vincere, and Falcons will begin in Stage 3 of the competition, while Team Spirit and Astralis are the two highest-rated squads in Stage 2.

PARIVISION, a team ranked seventh on HLTV’s list and 14th on Valve’s tally, will have its first set of matches in Stage 3 alongside the scene’s other juggernauts, while FUT, the #10 team according to VRS, starts in Stage 2.

GamerLegion Stuck In IEM Cologne Major Stage 1

GamerLegion, who just placed second in IEM Atlanta 2026 and are currently ranked 11th on both World Rankings, will start their IEM Cologne Major 2026 journey from Stage 1. Despite promising results from recent tournaments, their points tally during the qualification season was not enough to secure an invite to even Stage 2.

They are the highest-ranked team in Stage 1, followed by B8, BetBoom, and HEROIC. There are a ton of big names in the opening stage of the Major, and with only eight spots to play for, expect a fair amount of upsets to happen.

FaZe Absent From This Year’s First CS2 Major

FaZe have had a rough 2026. Between Finn “karrigan” Andersen’s departure and their inability to secure enough VRS points for a Major invite, they’re undoubtedly the biggest team to miss the trip to Cologne.

Their Major qualification journey went down to the wire as an HLC Belgrade PRO Grand Final victory against BIG was all they needed. In the end, despite their best efforts, they went out 1-2 and had to accept the fate of missing the IEM Cologne 2026 Major completely.

Complete List of Qualified Teams

The complete list of qualified teams per stage is as follows:

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