What To Expect From The IEM Cologne CS2 Major – Playoffs

It is finally time for Counter-Strike to return to the Lanxess Arena in Cologne! Stages 1-3 of the IEM Cologne Major 2026 have come to an end, and the playoffs are about to begin. We have already had some crazy storylines, incredible underdog runs, and brutally hard-fought marathons throughout the course of the major so far, and the playoffs are sure to continue the trend.

Today, we’re taking a quick look at what to expect from the playoffs, using the quarter-final matchups as our starting point. Let’s jump in.

9z vs FURIA

The obvious storyline at hand here is 9z’s frankly incredible run through Cologne thus far. Maximiliano “max” Gonzalez has led his troops to some astonishing victories and, even more impressively, to the major quarter-final. On top of this, Luciano “luchov” Herrera has been outstanding in Cologne. With a 1.19 rating over the event so far, he has been instrumental in 9z’s run. Of course, the cherry on top of what has been an insane story from the South American squad is their 2:1 reverse sweep victory over Vitality earlier in the tournament.

For FURIA, the immediate context coming into the quarter-final is somewhat different to that of 9z. This is a FURIA who has struggled to find its form since the announcement of Gabriel “FalleN” Toledo’s impending retirement at the end of the year. Whilst their Stage 3 was a success – going 3:0 in the bracket, with wins against B8, MOUZ, and BetBoom – they have definitely looked like less of a top-tier threat of late. They will doubtless be looking for a strong start against the plucky underdogs.

It has been a long time since these two teams have faced off against each other, with the last time being in the Perfect World Shanghai Major 2024 – a game that FURIA won 2:0. This will be an exciting matchup – one team slightly below their level against another team playing way above expectations. On paper, FURIA should have the experience to put 9z to bed, but with the way Cologne has been going thus far, anything is possible.

Aurora vs BetBoom

Aurora have been looking sharp in Cologne. Their Stage 3 looked pretty good, all things considered, although they did get dominated by Team Spirit (after taking the first map). One of the only teams to have an ostensibly easy time against 9z – with a 13:1 and 13:5 drubbing for the 2:0 – Engin “MAJ3R” Küpeli and co. are heading into the playoffs in good form. Of course, there is the intangible layer of stress that the whirling roster rumours will bring to the table, with both the aforementioned IGL and the Turkish side’s AWPer, Özgür “woxic” Eker, rumoured to be out, but the team appears to be keeping that thought process locked away for the time being, if recent interviews are anything to go by.

BetBoom are another team that have done remarkably well throughout their time in Cologne already. Veteran major-winning IGL Kirill “Boombl4” Mikhaylov has been calling his team through a number of brutal bouts, cementing BetBoom as a de facto dark horse team heading into the Lanxess. BetBoom have found themselves in the quarter-finals despite having entered Cologne in Stage 1, making Boombl4 part of a very exclusive club of IGLs who have brought their team to playoffs despite being placed in the earliest possible stage of the major – his only other club member being Finn “karrigan” Andersen. Whichever way the result ends up, this is sure to be a banger of a matchup.

G2 vs Spirit

G2 will be coming into their quarter-final game with quite the mix of confidence, momentum, and trepidation. On the one hand, they are battle-hardened, with wins against M80, Monte, BIG, FUT, Legacy, and NAVI under their belts. Besting NAVI in the final game of Stage 3 will be a huge boost to Nemanja “huNter-” Kovač and his team, as will the trajectory of their hard-fought progression in Cologne since Stage 2. On the other hand, they are heading into the playoffs in the most horrifying bracket they could ever have imagined. And, of all the people you don’t really want to face in the quarter-final, G2 have got to find a way to neutralise…

Danil “donk” Kryshkovets. Every article I write that covers donk is practically just a smorgasbord of superlatives at this point, and this one will be no different. The practically preternatural rifling talent has been on full display in Cologne, with his 2.27 rating throughout the entirety of Stage 2 being a Jurassic Park-style water-shaking portent of the domination that was to come.

A 2:0 destruction of NAVI, in which Aleksi “Aleksib” Virolainen’s side garnered a meagre nine rounds over the entire match, led into a late-to-start but equally brutal dismantling of Aurora. Spirit’s biggest test in Stage 3 came against a 9z who refused to go under for much longer than was expected, but the might of Spirit was ultimately stronger than the spirit of the underdogs.

This is going to be an explosive, brutal matchup in which G2 will have to weather the storm of a Spirit – and a donk – in top-shelf form.

Falcons vs Vitality

Finally, we come to the matchup that many people were hoping for in the Grand Final. The undisputed best team in the world, looking to become the undisputed best team of all time, against the duo of Nikola “NiKo” Kovač and Finn “karrigan” Andersen, looking to dispute the narrative that they can’t win a major together (or at all, for some…).

Vitality have looked a little shaky in Cologne, although they have tightened up as the games have gone on. A 2:1 victory against FUT started their Cologne campaign, with Dan “apEX” Madesclaire and his team shaking off a rough first map (a 13:5 beat-down on Anubis). The next match was probably the most shocking result of the major thus far, with 9z taking the 2:1 victory. Since then, though, Vitality have stabilized, with a 2:1 win over MOUZ and a 2:0 over BetBoom sending them into the playoffs.

This match will, quite simply, be absolute cinema. Sirens will sound. Very loud French words will be shouted. Who wins? We’ll just have to wait and see.

Whatever the outcome of these games, the playoffs of the IEM Cologne Major 2026 are bound to be even more exciting, explosive, and memorable than the rest of the tournament already has been. It will be a true celebration of our game. Fitting, then, that it will be in the Cathedral of Counter-Strike. Get ready, because the show is about to start.