It's been an incredible, wild, and unexpected ride for Counter-Strike 2 (CS2) esports fans throughout the first three stages of the Major. We saw favorites such as NAVI fall in Stage 3, underdogs 9z Team rise, and some of the biggest upsets in history take place. Now, it's time for the final eight teams to duke it out in the IEM Cologne Major 2026 Playoffs Stage.

The Playoffs Stage takes place live in front of a passionate crowd at the iconic LANXESS Arena. It's the Cathedral of Counter-Strike (well, the entire tournament is not just the venue), with glory on the line. Team Vitality, for example, is looking for back-to-back-to-back Majors to cement their legacy, while Team Spirit, FURIA, and Team Falcons are looking incredibly strong.

The Playoffs Stage of IEM Cologne Major 2026 features a single-elimination bracket format, where Quarterfinals and Semifinals are BO3, and the Grand Final is BO5. Mark your calendars and cancel your weekend plans, as it runs from 18 to 21 June 2026.

The matchup times are in SAST (CEST also works), so local gamers can quickly and easily set their alarms and mark those calendars for the final four days of competition.

Stay tuned to Esports Central as we'll bring you a highlights video and report once the dust settles over the Cathedral of Counter-Strike. CS2 esports fans can watch all the top-tier CS2 action live via the official ESL Counter-Strike YouTube and ESLCS Twitch channels. 

Header image via ESL.