The final 2-1 matches of IEM Cologne Major 2026 Stage 1 produced three more teams advancing to the next stage. GamerLegion, MIBR, and M80 all secured convincing victories on June 4, defeating BIG, Lynn Vision, and NRG respectively. For the losing teams, the road to Stage 2 is not over yet, as they drop into the decisive 2-2 pool.
GamerLegion outclass BIG to secure Stage 2 spot
GamerLegion continued their impressive run with a 2-0 victory over BIG. The German side fought hard on Overpass, but GamerLegion edged out the map 16-14 before closing the series on Ancient with a 13-11 victory.
Janusz “Snax” Pogorzelski was named Player of the Match after posting a 1.32 rating, 90.2 ADR, and 45 kills across the series. Oldřich “PR” Nový also made an important contribution with a 1.20 rating.
Teams’ road at the Major
GamerLegion began Stage 1 with a 13-10 victory over NRG and followed it up with a narrow 13-11 win against FlyQuest. Their unbeaten run came to an end with a 0-2 defeat to BetBoom in the 2-0 pool, but the Europeans recovered by sweeping BIG 2-0 to secure a place in Stage 2 with a 3-1 record.
BIG opened their campaign with a 10-13 loss to Liquid but quickly bounced back with victories over Gaimin Gladiators (13-1) and THUNDER dOWNUNDER (13-7). However, the Germans were unable to earn direct qualification, falling 0-2 to GamerLegion in the 2-1 pool and dropping into the decisive 2-2 bracket.
VRS impact
The victory brought GamerLegion six VRS points and kept them in ninth place. BIG lost six points and dropped from #27 to #28.
MIBR crush Lynn Vision to reach Stage 2
MIBR delivered one of the most dominant performances of the day, defeating Lynn Vision 2-0. The Brazilians won Anubis 13-5 before completely shutting down the Chinese squad on Inferno with a crushing 13-2 scoreline.
Felipe “insani” Yuji produced a phenomenal series and earned Player of the Match honors with a massive 2.21 rating, 140.7 ADR, and +12.10% swing. K1m1 and LNZ also posted ratings above 1.40.
Teams’ road at the Major
MIBR started the Major with a surprising 6-13 defeat to THUNDER dOWNUNDER before responding with a 16-14 victory over TYLOO. The Brazilians continued their recovery by defeating Liquid 13-10 and completed their comeback run with a dominant 2-0 victory over Lynn Vision, finishing Stage 1 with a 3-1 record.
Lynn Vision suffered an opening 8-13 loss to M80 but recovered with consecutive victories over HEROIC (13-11) and Sharks (13-5). Their momentum ended in the 2-1 pool, where MIBR proved too strong and eliminated the Chinese side’s hopes of direct qualification with a 2-0 victory.
VRS impact
MIBR gained 27 VRS points and remained 18th in the rankings. Lynn Vision lost ten points and slipped from #23 to #24.
M80 eliminate NRG from the 2-1 pool
The North American derby between M80 and NRG ended in favor of M80, who claimed a 2-0 victory. Ancient finished 13-6, while Inferno proved more competitive before M80 secured a 13-10 win and punched their ticket to Stage 2.
Josh “JBa” Barutt led the way with a 1.46 rating, while Michael “Swisher” Schmid added a 1.42 rating. Grim was the best performer on the NRG side with a 1.24 rating.
Teams’ road at the Major
M80 opened the tournament with a 13-8 win over Lynn Vision and then defeated Sharks 13-6. Their first defeat came against B8, who swept them 2-0 in the 2-0 pool. Facing a qualification match, M80 bounced back by defeating NRG 2-0 and secured their place in Stage 2.
NRG began the Major with a 10-13 loss to GamerLegion but recovered by beating SINNERS 13-6. They then defeated FlyQuest 13-10 to move into the 2-1 pool, but their run toward direct qualification ended with a 0-2 defeat against M80, sending them into the 2-2 bracket.
VRS impact
M80 gained 15 VRS points and climbed from #27 to #25. NRG lost 12 points and remained in 45th place.
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Three more tickets secured
With these results, GamerLegion, MIBR, and M80 became the latest teams to qualify for Stage 2 of IEM Cologne Major 2026. BIG, Lynn Vision, and NRG are still alive, but they will now have to fight through the high-pressure 2-2 matches for the final places in the next stage.
