Team Spirit has locked in their spot in the IEM Cologne Major 2026 playoffs, becoming only the second team to advance out of Stage 3. For an organization defending a Major title, this is the kind of statement that makes the rest of the field nervous.
The tournament, running from June 2 to June 21, 2026, in Cologne, Germany, features a $1.25 million prize pool. Thirty-two teams entered across three stages, but only eight will survive to compete in the playoffs. Team Spirit just made sure they’re one of them.
How they got here
Team Spirit entered Stage 2 via a Europe VRS invite after an inconsistent stretch of results earlier in the year. Then they went 3-0 in that stage. Without their head coach. And without their assistant coach.
Stage 3 followed the Swiss format with best-of-3 matchups. Along the way, they notched victories over Natus Vincere and Aurora.
