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May 28, 2026 | Anders Frost

Aussies set to kick off the Cologne Major

The opening round of Stage 1 at the IEM Cologne Major is set, establishing the initial best-of-one matchups for Tuesday, June 2. The tournament opens with concurrent matches featuring regional contenders looking to secure an early advantage in the Swiss stage. You can find more tournament info on our Major Hub page.

Early pressure on Australian rosters

The schedule puts immediate attention on the Oceania region, with both Australian representatives playing in the earliest time slots. FlyQuest will face SINNERS at 12:30, while THUNDERdOWNUNDER meets MIBR at 13:30.

These opening matches carry clear consequences for the tournament Pick’em predictions. A large portion of community brackets have placed at least one of these Australian squads in the 0-3 elimination slot. Early victories for FlyQuest or THUNDERdOWNUNDER would immediately disrupt those popular community selections.

Closing out the opening round

The first round concludes with a matchup between BIG and Team Liquid at 15:30. Scheduled as one of the final games of the opening set, this clash represents the highest-profile pairing of the initial round, with both organizations looking to establish early momentum.

The complete schedule for the opening round of Stage 1 on Tuesday, June 2:

12:30 (CEST): SINNERS vs FlyQuest
12:30: M80 vs Lynn Vision
13:30: B8 vs TYLOO
13:30: MIBR vs THUNDERdOWNUNDER
14:30: GamerLegion vs NRG
14:30: HEROIC vs Sharks
15:30: BetBoom vs Gaimin Gladiators
15:30: BIG vs Liquid

Author

Anders Frost

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A lifelong gamer with 21 years on Steam, first introduced to Counter-Strike in 1.6 but truly hooked by CS:GO. Loves the idea of playing AWP - just not quite skilled enough to pull it off. Outside the server, a journalist with 14 years of experience covering both traditional sports and esports.

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