What To Expect From The IEM Cologne CS2 Major – Stage 1 [Part 2]

We’re going to take a look at what to expect for the latter half of the teams heading into Stage 1 of the IEM Cologne CS2 Major. Let’s jump in!

Lynn Vision

Regionally, Lynn Vision are performing very well. A smattering of first and second-place finishes in regional tournaments will see the Chinese organization heading into Cologne with some confidence.

Of course, it’s always a tough battle for Lynn Vision when they play at the bigger international events, as they don’t get a tremendous number of opportunities to do battle with the biggest teams in the world.

They can definitely do some damage, though, and are capable of making surprising upsets happen. It’s always difficult to get a truly accurate read on Lynn Vision, but I reckon they have a fair-to-middling chance of getting through Stage 1.

SINNERS

SINNERS are having a great couple of months. Firstly, qualifying for the major is huge for this team, with many overlooking their potential in the run-up. On top of this, a recent first-place finish in BC Game Masters Championship Season 1 – a tournament with the likes of BIG, BetBoom, and G2 in contention – will have Sebastian “beastik” Daňo and his squad full of confidence and ready to take some serious scalps.

Whilst SINNERS as a whole is performing as a unit at the moment, the player to watch, for me, is Kamil “kisserek” Banak. A 1.19 performance over the aforementioned tournament, with a 1.27 CT side throughout the event, showed a level for kisserek that will be crucial for SINNERS heading into the opening stage.

NRG

NRG are having a rough 2026 so far. Their best result in the last few months was a disappointing 6th-place finish in FRAG 20, with the likes of Fisher College, Marsborne, and LAG finishing above them.

Unfortunately, it isn’t hard to doubt NRG’s chances in Stage 1. After the relatively recent addition of Michael “Grim” Wince, the NA roster has struggled to find the right balance in-game. On the one hand, it is the major, and they will doubtless have some new looks to exhibit. On the other hand, I worry it might be too little, too late. As far as my Pick’ems are concerned, NRG aren’t making it through.

BIG

BIG are another interesting one. They have been a fairly strong team in their ecosphere, with a litany of first, second, and third-place finishes over the last few months. Benjamin “blameF” Bremer has been something of a revelation for the German org, with his IGLing taking them to unexpected heights – namely, qualifying for the major and beating a downtrodden but always dangerous FaZe Clan in the immediate run-up to qualification closing, in the HLC Belgrade PRO 2026 grand final.

I am firmly on the BIG train for the opening stage. I doubt they go undefeated, but I can easily see them getting through to Stage 2.

Sharks

Sharks are one of the dark-horse teams heading into Stage 1 of Cologne. They have had a decent run of form, of late, with some first and second-place finishes in regional tournaments over the last couple of months.

The rifling duo of Danilo “doc” Barros and João “koala” Pedro are, for me, the ones to watch on this roster. They are both in good form, with both of them sitting at a 1.11 overall rating in the last three months.

Frankly, Sharks could turn up and smell blood in the water with the Bo1 games, or they could flounder against the bigger teams and fall flat. Either way, I’m excited to watch them cook in Cologne.

FlyQuest

The last time we saw FlyQuest perform against non-regional competition was at Digital Crusade DraculaN Season 5, in February. A couple of 2:0 victories against Nexus and Eternal Fire took them to the Upper Bracket Final, where a 2:0 loss to HEROIC saw them play the third-place decider against 100 Thieves, ultimately losing out and taking fourth place. It was a decidedly okay performance across the event.

A smattering of regional tournaments followed. A fifth-place finish in the CS Asia Championships 2026 Asia Closed Qualifier led into a second-place spot in the XSE GangKui Cup Season 2 Finals and, most recently, they bowed out with an underwhelming eleventh-place spot in the Hero Esports Asian Champions League 2026.

It is safe to say that expectations aren’t particularly high for FlyQuest heading into Cologne, and I somewhat echo the sentiment. I don’t have them going through to Stage 2, although they have managed to ruin my pick’ems every time I’ve doubted them in the past. So really, who knows?

Gaimin Gladiators

Perhaps the team with the most exciting news for old school CS fans heading into the major – Gaimin Gladiators are coming to Cologne with Fernando “⁠fer⁠” Alvarenga on the roster. The veteran Brazilian rifler replaces João “felps” Vasconcellos, and will be looking to show that he’s still got what it takes to hang with the best players in the world.

Gaimin Gladiators have the capacity to pull off some serious upsets and have been performing fairly well regionally, with a couple of first and second-place finishes dotted throughout their regional appearances. In the opening stage, they could really go either way. The only thing that’s guaranteed is that it’s going to be fun to watch them cook with fer.

THUNDER dOWNUNDER

Finally, we come to the other Australian team heading into Cologne, THUNDER dOWNUNDER. A true Aussie pug stack, with the likes of Christopher “dexter” Nong, Alistair “aliStair” Johnston, and the always-loud Tynan “TjP” Purtell, this team is going to give us some seriously entertaining CS at the very least.

Whilst some might view THUNDER dOWNUNDER as something of a FlyQuest rejects club, I personally think they’re a more exciting, explosive unit than their more established local rivals. Of course, they’re coming into Cologne firmly in the underdog bracket, but that’s what Stage 1 is all about. Will they go through? On balance, I doubt it. But that doesn’t change the fact that I’m quite looking forward to watching them play.