Tournament organizer ESL has announced the 32 teams that will fight at the Cathedral of Counter-Strike in the highly anticipated Intel Extreme Masters (IEM) Cologne Major 2026. Here's what Counter-Strike 2 (CS2) esports fans need to know!

All IEM Cologne Major 2026 teams

A total of 32 teams will compete at the IEM Cologne Major 2026 in Germany. The iconic event runs from 2 to 21 June 2026. Yes, it's a Major Championship as well, making this one of the biggest events in the history of CS2 thus far.

Teams were invited based on their VRS standing as of April 6, 2026. One glaring omission is FaZe Clan, which failed to qualify for a Major in the organization's storied history after a massive string of poor performances. Yes, there will be roster changes, but more on that in another article!

https://twitter.com/ESLCS/status/2041531943141974139

If you don't know exactly what the logos of each team look like, or just want a nice overview you can copy and paste, we've got you covered below with three tables.

Let's start with the top teams who qualified directly to Stage 3, followed by the Stage 2 teams, and finally, the underdogs, aka the Stage 1 teams at IEM Cologne 2026. We've also included which region they hail from, for good measure.

Stage 3 teamsRegionTeam VitalityEuropeNatus VincereEuropePARIVISIONEuropeAurora GamingEuropeTeam FalconsEuropeMOUZEuropeFURIAAmericasThe MongolZAsia Stage 2 teamsRegionTeam SpiritEuropeAstralisEuropeG2 EsportsEuropeFUT EsportsEuropeMonteEurope9z TeamAmericaspaiN GamingAmericasLegacyAmericas

Now, for the final 16 teams, rounding out the total of 32 competitors. These teams will battle it out in Stage 1.

Stage 1 teamsRegionGamerLegionEuropeBIGEuropeBetBoom TeamEuropeB8EuropeHEROICEuropeSINNERS EsportsEuropeM80AmericasNRGAmericasSharks EsportsAmericasGaimin GladiatorsAmericasMIBRAmericasTeam LiquidAmericasTYLOOAsiaLynn VisionAsiaFlyQuestAsiaTHUNDER DOWNUNDERAsia

Stay tuned

Header image via ESL / Helena Kristiansson