Following one of the most unforgettable days in Major playoff history, Saturday's Semifinals left two teams standing in pursuit of a Major Championship.

After losing the opening map of their Playoffs, FURIA have been unbeaten, rallying back against 9z Team to win 2-1 in the Quarterfinals and taking down Aurora Gaming 2-0 in the Semifinals to reach the Grand Finals for the first time in the organization's history.

Team Falcons took down the world's #1 team, Team Vitality, 2-1 in the Quarterfinals. A day later, they punched their ticket to the Grand Finals by defeating Team Spirit 2-1 in dramatic fashion, needing Overtime in the third map. This is Team Falcons first Major Championship appearance.

Coverage of the best of five Grand Finals between FURIA and Team Falcons begins with the opening ceremony at 16:45 CEST (10:45AM EDT). Don't miss a moment!

And with the Major coming to a close, team and player stickers are still available, with 50% of tournament item sales being shared with the tournament organizer, teams, and players.

Good luck to both teams!

Playoffs at the IEM Cologne 2026 Major begin tomorrow and the "Cathedral of Counter-Strike" awaits.

For the second consecutive Major, FURIA and Team Spirit finished Stage III with perfect 3-0 records. Aurora, Falcons, and Vitality finished 3-1, and 9z Team, BetBoom, and G2 Esports advanced with 3-2 records.

The Lanxess Arena will host the Playoffs, beginning with Thursday's Quarterfinals matchups:

• 9z Team vs. FURIA
  
• Aurora vs. BetBoom

The second set of Quarterfinals takes place Friday, featuring:

• G2 Esports vs. Team Spirit
  
• Falcons vs. Vitality

With Semifinals on Saturday and the Grand Finals on Sunday, we're in for a great weekend of Counter-Strike.

As the Playoffs approach, there's still time to support your favorite teams. Team and player stickers are still available, with 50% of tournament item sales being shared with the tournament organizer, teams, and players.

And don't forget, all Playoff picks for the Pick'Em Challenge must be submitted prior to the first Playoff match beginning; you don't want to miss your Diamond Coin!

Vitality are looking to win their third straight Major. Will anyone stop them? Tune in and find out!

The IEM Cologne 2026 Major is fast approaching. Teams are making final adjustments, fine-tuning their strats, and crossing their fingers that they won't face Vitality until the Grand Final. That can only mean one thing: Tournament Items featuring Teams and Player Autographs are now available for purchase!

The Major Shop has undergone some major renovation--now you can directly get any sticker you want (at prices set by demand). Holo Furia logo? You got it. Foil Donk autograph? No problem.

You can purchase tokens and redeem them for any sticker you want. The prices of stickers will depend on relative demand (when lots of players buy a particular sticker, its price goes up and other sticker prices go down), but if you're worried that a sticker might drop in price right after you buy it, we've got you covered. If a sticker price drops by more than 25 tokens within 24 hours of your purchase you'll get a refund of tokens for the total difference.

Details about the Major Shop renovation and how this all works can be found in the FAQ below.

What will you bring to the signing session? Now you can craft your own Souvenir! Take any normal or Souvenir quality weapon in your inventory and select a completed match and one of the players. You'll get your weapon back in Souvenir quality with gold team, autograph, and map stickers applied.

Purchase and activate a Cologne 2026 Viewer Pass, and you'll receive a 2026 Cologne Major Challenge Coin. Play the Pick'Em Challenge to upgrade your Challenge Coin from Bronze to Silver, Gold, or Diamond and with each upgrade you'll get 300 tokens that you can redeem for the stickers or souvenirs of your choice.

As with previous Majors, 50% of the tournament item sales are shared with the Tournament Organizer, Teams, and Players. But this time the royalty rates depend on performance. Between now and the end of the Major royalty rates for token sales are based on the teams' VRS seeding, and after the Major the royalty rates will be based on the Major final standings. The breakdown is in the FAQ, below.

So clear your schedule and tune in, as the Major returns to the Cathedral of Counter-Strike!


[h5]Q. Why aren't you selling capsules?[/h5]
In the past we shipped team and player autograph stickers in capsules. While this approach was popular, we've heard feedback that players might prefer to purchase stickers directly. Additionally, players in certain regions cannot purchase sticker capsules. So we're exploring alternatives that allow all players to participate.

[h5]Q. How do I get tournament items?[/h5]
Add any sticker or stickers you like to your cart, and check out. To complete your transaction, first you'll purchase and activate tokens, and then redeem those tokens for your sticker.

Sticker purchases are final and cannot be refunded. If you cancel your transaction before activating your tokens, those tokens _can_ be refunded. If you cancel your transaction after activating your tokens, the tokens will remain in your balance (and cannot be refunded) but you can redeem them for something else.

[h5]Q. How are sticker prices set?[/h5]
The prices of all stickers depend on relative demand. This means that if one sticker is purchased disproportionately more than another, its price will go up and the other sticker's price will go down. After a large number of stickers are sold, all sticker prices will update (you'll get a warning if you're shopping when this is about to happen). The prices in tokens you see are the same prices for everyone worldwide.

[h5]Q. Why do I have to purchase tokens?[/h5]
Tokens are a little less convenient than just paying for stickers outright. But the reality is that if stickers could be refunded after being purchased, then the sticker prices would not accurately represent real demand.

[h5]Q. Can I pre-purchase tokens?[/h5]
No. Tokens are only purchased when you're buying stickers and do not already have enough tokens in your balance. In that case, you'll be asked to purchase the exact number of tokens required (minimum 100, which is $0.99 USD) to complete your transaction.

[h5]Q. What if the sticker price goes down after I redeem my tokens?[/h5]
If the price of any redeemed sticker decreases by 25 tokens or more within the next 24 hours, we'll automatically issue you a refund of tokens for the difference between your redemption price and the lowest price in that period. Refunds are automatically credited to your tokens balance after one week.

[h5]Q. How do souvenirs work this time?[/h5]
Take any weapon of normal or souvenir quality in your inventory and select a completed match and one of the players from that match. You'll permanently convert that weapon into a Souvenir with gold team, autograph, and map stickers applied. You will have a chance to see a preview of your souvenir before you complete your purchase.

If the weapon had any existing stickers, they will be removed before you craft your souvenir.

[h5]Q. How are souvenir prices determined?[/h5]
Souvenir prices are determined by two factors: the demand for the specific gold team and autograph stickers involved, and the rarity of the weapon you choose for your souvenir.

[h5]Q. How are royalties shared among the tournament organizer, teams and players?[/h5]
50% of total Major Shop and Major Pass revenue is shared as royalties with the tournament organizer, teams, and players. The chart below shows how that 50% is distributed. Note that for each team position, half of the royalties are shared with the team organization, and the other half is split equally among the five players.

Between now and the grand final, royalties are shared based on the teams' global VRS leading into the event. After the grand final, royalties will be shared based on the final standings.