Intel Extreme Masters Cologne Major invites finalized

The Valve Regional Standings (VRS) update to determine direct invites for Intel Extreme Masters Cologne Major 2026 was finalised on Monday, April 6, unveiling the list of Counter-Strike 2 teams who will travel to Germany in June.

The invitations for IEM Cologne Major were sent out by the tournament organizers on Sunday, shortly after the conclusion of Urban Riga Open Season 4 and HLC Belgrade PRO – the final VRS tournaments before the deadline on Monday.

While the majority of the teams were already locked in to attend IEM Cologne, squads like Gaimin Gladiators, SINNERS Esports, HEROIC, and BIG were a few points short and found themselves in a tight battle for the direct invites.

Even though all four managed to cross the finish line, many notable CS2 teams did not.

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That includes Gentle Mates, K27, Passion UA, BESTIA, Alliance, and even StarLadder Budapest Major finalists, FaZe Clan.

IEM Cologne Major is scheduled to kick off on June 2, with the first games of Stage 1. The Major will run for three weeks and conclude on June 21.

The three phases will all feature a 16-team Swiss-style group stage, with opening matches played best-of-one and all remaining matches best-of-three.

The playoffs will welcome only eight teams, who will be placed into a single-elimination bracket with all games played as Bo3, except for the grand final, which is Bo5.

With two months separating us from the opening games of the German Major, the top-rated CS2 bookmakers have yet to open outright markets. Those should become available in the coming weeks, following the conclusion of upcoming big events such as PGL Astana, IEM Atlanta, and the CS Asia Championships.

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IEM Cologne Major 2026 Invites

Stage 3 Invites

• • Team Vitality – Europe
• • Natus Vincere – Europe
• • PARIVISION – Europe
• • Aurora Gaming – Europe
• • Team Falcons – Europe
• • MOUZ – Europe
• • FURIA – Americas
• • The MongolZ – Asia

Stage 2 Invites

• • Team Spirit – Europe
• • Astralis – Europe
• • G2 Esports – Europe
• • FUT Esports – Europe
• • Monte – Europe
• • 9z Team – Americas
• • PaiN Gaming – Americas
• • Legacy – Americas

Stage 1 Invites

• • GamerLegion – Europe
• • BIG – Europe
• • BetBoom Team – Europe
• • B8 – Europe
• • HEROIC – Europe
• • SINNERS Esports – Europe
• • M80 – Americas
• • NRG – Americas
• • Sharks Esports – Americas
• • Gaimin Gladiators – Americas
• • MIBR – Americas
• • Team Liquid – Americas
• • TYLOO – Asia
• • Lynn Vision – Asia
• • THUNDER dOWNUNDER – Asia
• • FlyQuest – Asia