The second day of Stage 3 at the IEM Cologne Major 2026 has concluded. While some Ukrainian organizations strengthened their standing in the tournament, two others are now just one loss away from elimination.
Natus Vincere and Monte both secured crucial victories and moved to the 1–1 bracket after defeating Legacy and PV, respectively. They are joined in the 1–1 pool by Team Falcons, The MongolZ, MOUZ, G2 Esports, Team Vitality, and Aurora Gaming.
Meanwhile, B8 and FUT Esports suffered defeats and dropped to the 0–2 bracket, leaving them on the brink of elimination. Legacy and PV are also in a dangerous position with 0–2 records.
FURIA, BetBoom Team, 9z Team, and Team Spirit advanced to the 2–0 bracket and are now just one win away from securing a playoff berth.
Match Results
- The MongolZ 2–0 B8 (16–14 Mirage, 13–3 Overpass)
- FURIA 2–1 MOUZ (13–5 Nuke, 5–13 Inferno, 13–7 Overpass)
- FUT 1–2 G2 (5–13 Overpass, 13–6 Ancient, 9–13 Mirage)
- PV 1–2 Monte (13–7 Mirage, 9–13 Ancient, 5–13 Inferno)
- Natus Vincere 2–0 Legacy (13–4 Inferno, 13–10 Ancient)
- Falcons 0–2 BetBoom (11–13 Nuke, 10–13 Ancient)
- Aurora 1–2 Spirit (13–9 Dust2, 4–13 Anubis, 5–13 Nuke)
- Vitality 1–2 9z (13–4 Inferno, 9–13 Mirage, 11–13 Dust2)
One of the biggest surprises of the day was 9z’s upset victory over Team Vitality, handing one of the tournament favorites a costly defeat and moving the South American side to a perfect 2–0 record.
The tournament is taking place in Cologne from June 2 to June 21 and features a total prize pool of $1.25 million.
Reminder: Microsoft reportedly planned to use profits from Activision Blizzard to subsidize its Xbox business.