The first day of the highly anticipated IEM Cologne Major 2026 has arrived. Thirty-two teams have made their way to Germany to compete for a $1,250,000 prize pool and the right to call themselves Counter-Strike 2 Major Champions.
Today marks the beginning of Stage 1, where 16 teams enter the Swiss system format to fight for a spot in the next phase of the tournament. The first round starts with best-of-one matches, and with round two being played later tonight, we will already get a clear indication today of which teams are most likely to set their mark on the Major in Cologne.
Hometown heroes and early favorites
Among the teams taking the server today are the hometown heroes from BIG. The German organization will do everything they can to try and make their dream come true and qualify for the later stages of the tournament. If everything works out, they will achieve the ultimate goal of playing in front of the live audience in the Lanxess Arena. Their opening matchup against Liquid will set the tone for their campaign.
Other participating teams in Stage 1 include GamerLegion, MIBR, and HEROIC, who are all looking to build momentum from the get-go. With the unforgiving nature of best-of-one series, the opening day is bound to deliver intense Counter-Strike.
Pley.gg brings you closer to the action
To ensure fans do not miss a single moment of the tournament, Pley.gg has launched a dedicated Major hub designed to be the central destination for everything related to the IEM Cologne Major.
Pley.gg Editor in Chief Anders Frost states:
“We look forward to the Major on Pley.gg. The Cologne Major is the absolute highlight of the year with Counter-Strike being celebrated in Cologne, which is one of the legendary locations in competitive Counter-Strike. Our brand new Major hub guarantees complete coverage of the Major with the latest articles, livestreams, results, schedules, and stats from the event. You can even look up which skins the players are playing with if you get inspired. Our Major Hub is made in collaboration with CS.MONEY.”
The editorial team will also be present on the ground in Germany as the tournament progresses.
“We are also going down to Cologne to cover the event from the playoff stage, so you can look forward to interviews with some of the best players in the world later on in the Major,” Frost adds.
Today’s schedule in Cologne
The opening day features a packed schedule of best-of-one matches. Here is the full list of the upcoming Counter-Strike matchups for Tuesday, June 2, 2026:
12:30: M80 vs. Lynn Vision
12:30: SINNERS vs. FlyQuest
13:30: B8 vs. TYLOO
13:30: MIBR vs. THUNDER dOWNUNDER
14:30: GamerLegion vs. NRG
14:30: HEROIC vs. Sharks
15:30: BetBoom vs. Gaimin Gladiators
15:30: BIG vs. Liquid
Following these opening games, the second round of the Stage 1 Swiss system will commence with matches scheduled at 17:30, 18:30, 19:30, and 20:30.
Remember to check out the Major hub for everything related to the IEM Cologne Major!
