IEM Cologne Major 2026 starts today with 32 teams competing for the CS2 title

▤ Summary

The IEM Cologne Major 2026 begins in Germany with 32 Counter-Strike 2 teams competing for a $1.25 million prize pool. The event opens with Stage 1, where 16 teams play a Swiss-format bracket and start with best-of-one matches. Brazilian organization MIBR enters the first stage against THUNDER dOWNUNDER, while other notable teams such as GamerLegion, HEROIC, Liquid, and BIG also compete. The tournament returns to Cologne, a historically important city in competitive Counter-Strike, and the opening day will quickly reveal which teams look strongest for the title race.

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