IEM Cologne 2026 Major Field Is Complete: The 32 Teams That Made It

The IEM Cologne 2026 Major field is set. After a tense final weekend of LAN results in Europe and the Americas, all 32 teams locked in their spots through the April 6 VRS cutoff. Here is how the race ended and which squads made it to Cologne. Check out the full list below.

How the Invite Picture Was Decided in the Final Days

The final stretch was messy, crowded, and perfect for Major drama. The last two weeks of local LANs became a scramble for teams sitting near the line, with BIG, HEROIC, SINNERS, and Gaimin Gladiators all hunting points before the April 6 cutoff. Urban Riga Open Season 4 and HLC Belgrade PRO ended up doing the heavy lifting, because both tournaments landed right on the edge of the deadline and carried enough weight to swing the final spots.

BIG punch through in Belgrade

BIG booked a place in the HLC Belgrade PRO final with a 2-0 semifinal win over magic, taking Mirage 13-7 and Overpass 13-11. Benjamin “blameF” Bremer led the server with a 46-25 K-D, 1.84 K/D, 116.0 ADR, and a 1.70 rating. That result locked BIG into the Major and ended Alliance’s chances.

BIG shut the door on FaZe

The last key result came in the HLC Belgrade PRO final, where BIG beat FaZe 2-1 and locked in a Major spot. FaZe started hot with a 13-3 win on Dust2, with Finn “karrigan” Andersen posting a 2.32 rating on that map, but BIG hit back on Overpass 13-11 and smashed Anubis 13-3. Gleb “gr1ks” Gazin led BIG with a 49-37 K-D, 1.32 K/D, 88.2 ADR, and a 1.32 rating, while Russel “Twistzz” Van Dulken topped FaZe on 47-35 with a 1.39 rating. The win sent BIG to Cologne and gave SINNERS the last European place.

Full Qualified Team List by Tournament Stage

The official invite split published after the cutoff is listed below.

Stage 3 teams

The eight direct Stage 3 invites are:

• Vitality
• PARIVISION
• Falcons
• FURIA
• Natus Vincere
• Aurora
• MOUZ
• The MongolZ

Stage 2 teams

The eight direct Stage 2 invites are:

• Spirit
• G2
• Monte
• paiN
• Astralis
• FUT
• 9z
• Legacy

Stage 1 teams

The 16 teams starting in Stage 1 are:

• GamerLegion
• BetBoom
• HEROIC
• M80
• Sharks
• MIBR
• TYLOO
• THUNDER dOWNUNDER
• BIG
• B8
• SINNERS
• NRG
• Gaimin Gladiators
• Liquid
• Lynn Vision
• FlyQuest

That split leaves Europe with the deepest share of the field again, but the Americas and Asia still produced several late movers. The Major itself is set for Cologne, Germany, with Stage 1 beginning on June 2, Stage 2 on June 6, and the main event running through June 21.

Late qualification twists: BIG, SINNERS, and Liquid lock in their places

BIG’s late run changed more than just their own fate. After beating magic and then taking down FaZe, the German team locked in a Major spot and also helped SINNERS grab the last European place. For SINNERS, it is a first-ever Major appearance, earned after their BC Game Masters Championship Season 1 win and a long wait for other results to fall their way.

Liquid got in through a different twist. Passion UA had a real shot to pass them, but Sangal stopped that push with a 2-1 win in the Urban Riga final. Passion UA won Inferno 13-11, then lost Anubis 9-13 and Nuke 9-13. clax was the best player in the series with a 62-41 K-D, 1.51 K/D, 100.2 ADR, and a 1.57 rating. smooya also put up strong numbers at 56-44 with a 1.17 rating. In the end, that loss sent Liquid through to Stage 1.

The biggest teams left out of the Major, including FaZe and Passion UA

Some of the biggest names did not make the cut for IEM Cologne 2026, and FaZe is the one that stands out most. After a weak start to 2026 hurt their VRS position, they tried to save their Major spot through smaller LAN events, but the loss to BIG in Belgrade ended that run. It will be the first CS Major FaZe have missed since joining the scene in 2016. Passion UA came even closer to making it. A win over Sangal in the Urban Riga final would have put them level with Liquid in projected points, but that last step slipped away. A few other teams also finished just short, so the final invite race had no lack of heartbreak.

1. FaZe: missed the Major after losing to BIG, first miss since 2016
2. Passion UA: fell one result short after losing the Urban Riga final to Sangal
3. Alliance, BESTIA, K27, Gentle Mates, SemperFi: all ended outside the top 32

The field is now locked, and all focus turns to Cologne.