The first qualification matches of the 2-1 bracket in Stage 3 of IEM Cologne Major 2026 determined two more playoff participants. Aurora delivered one of the most dominant performances of the stage to sweep 9z, while Vitality overcame BetBoom in a battle between teams that had surprised many with their strong starts. Both winners improved to 3-1 and secured places in the LANXESS Arena.
Road to the playoffs
Aurora bounced back from an opening loss to Spirit with consecutive victories over Monte, G2 and 9z, finishing Stage 3 with a 3-1 record and securing a place in the playoffs.
Vitality also qualified with a 3-1 scoreline. After defeating FUT, suffering an upset against 9z, and eliminating MOUZ, the world No.1 team sealed its playoff berth with a convincing win over BetBoom.
Despite the defeats, both BetBoom and 9z remain in contention. BetBoom started Stage 3 with impressive victories over The MongolZ and Falcons to reach the 2-0 pool, but consecutive losses to FURIA and Vitality dropped them to 2-2. Meanwhile, 9z stunned PARIVISION and Vitality in the opening rounds before suffering back-to-back defeats against Spirit and Aurora. Both teams now have one final chance to secure a place at the LANXESS Arena.
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Aurora dominate 9z to reach the playoffs
After defeating G2 earlier in the day, Aurora continued their impressive run with a convincing 2-0 victory over 9z. The Turkish-led squad looked in control throughout the series and never allowed the South Americans to establish momentum.
9z selected Nuke, but Aurora completely shut down their opponents and secured a comfortable 13-1 victory. On Dust2, the story remained largely the same as Wicadia, XANTARES and company closed out the map 13-5 to complete the sweep and book a playoff berth.
Caner “soufly” Kesici was named Player of the Match after posting a 1.67 rating and 98.2 ADR across the series.
Vitality stop BetBoom’s run
BetBoom entered the match after stunning Falcons and reaching the 2-1 pool, but the world No.1 team proved too strong. Vitality claimed a 2-0 victory to advance to the playoffs and deny BetBoom an immediate qualification.
On Overpass, Mathieu “ZywOo” Herbaut led the charge as Vitality secured a 13-8 win. BetBoom attempted to respond on their own map pick, Nuke, but Vitality once again controlled the decisive moments and closed the map 13-11 to complete the series.
ZywOo finished as the best player of the match with a 1.66 rating and 108.9 ADR.
VRS impact
The victories brought important gains in the Valve Regional Standings. Aurora earned +28 points and climbed from No.9 to No.8, while 9z lost 13 points and dropped to No.12. Vitality collected another +19 points and strengthened their position at No.2 in the rankings. BetBoom, despite the defeat, lost only five points and remained close to the top ten.
Team reactions
Aurora celebrated qualification with a post proclaiming:
XANTARESPEEK > HUASOPEEK. Major Playoffs secured.
9z accepted the loss and promised to fight for the final playoff spot:
Today wasn’t our day, we fall to Aurora in Stage 3 of the IEM Cologne Major 2026. Tomorrow we have one last chance to advance to playoffs.
Vitality shared a celebratory message after reaching the arena stage:
3-1 COMFORT ZONE. SEE YOU ALL IN THE PLAYOFFS.
Meanwhile, BetBoom acknowledged the setback with a short statement:
We’re falling to the 2-2 seeding.
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What’s next?
Aurora and Vitality became the third and fourth teams to qualify for the IEM Cologne Major 2026 playoffs, joining Spirit and FURIA. Meanwhile, BetBoom and 9z dropped to the crowded 2-2 pool, where they will have one final opportunity to fight for a place at the LANXESS Arena.
